PHYSIOLOGICAL AND OXIDATIVE STRESS BIOMARKERS IN THE FRESHWATER CATFISH(CLARIAS GARIEPINUS) EXPOSED TO PENDIMETHALIN-BASED HERBICIDE AND RECOVERY WITH EDTA.

The present study was planned aiming to investigate the effects of Pendimethalin herbicide exposure on haematological, biochemical, oxidative stress and antioxidant biomarkers in the tissue liver of catfish and recovery effects of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid on the degree of Pendimethalin sublethal toxicity for 42 day. The experiment was carried out on (100)catfish that randomly divided in to nine equal groups with fife replicates: The 1st group kept as control, the 2nd group and 3rd group exposed to (5 %) and (10%) of Pendimethalin for 7 days, the 4th and 5th group exposed to (5 %) and (10%) of Pendimethalin and recovery with EDTA for 7 day, the 6th and 7th exposed to (5 %) and (10%) of Pendimethalin for 21 day, while the 8th and 9th group exposed to (5 %) and (10%) of Pendimethalin and recovery with EDTA for 14 day. Abnormal behavioral responses of the catfish and the toxic symptoms of pendimethalin exposure are described. Acute exposure to pendimethalin induced leukocytosis, hyperglobulinemia, hyperglycemia and increased lipid profile.Moreover, pendimethalin increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased levels of reduced glutathione and antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase in the liver tissue. We conclude that although pendimethalin is moderately toxic and cause significant deleterious effects on fish and aquatic invertebrates, it does not cause renal toxicity. However, this herbicide pollutant induces major disturbances to the antioxidant system; induction of oxidative stress and LPO is the proposed toxicodynamic pathway for such stress. Toxicity with Pendimethalin (Stomp) can end up in humans through thefood chain. However, fish recovered with EDTA exhibited protective effect by minimizing the Pendimethalin-induced toxicity, through measured values more or less similar to the control group fish.