Renal and hepatic histopathology of intraperitoneally administered potassium permanganate on Clarias gariepinus juveniles

Abstract

The biochemistry and histopathology of intraperitoneally administered potassium permanganate was investigated in Clarias gariepinus. Acute toxicity of the KMnO₄ was determined by intraperitoneally injecting the fish with 0.0, 1.5, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 mg/kg. The 96 h lethal concentration (LC₅₀) value obtained from the intraperitoneal injection of the juveniles of C. gariepinus with KMnO₄ was 2.001 mg/kg KMnO₄ at 95% confidence limit. Liver and kidney were excised at the end of each interval of exposure of 0 to 15 days and blood samples were obtained at the end of the exposure period from the caudal ablation and were used for the assay of creatinine, urea and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The mean creatinine and BUN values differed significantly at P<0.05 when compared with the mean values of the control group at the same time. The KMnO₄ caused histopathological changes and distortions in the histoarchitecture of the kidney (such as necrotic tubules, cystic spaces, and destruction of renal tubules) and the liver (such as disintegration of hepatic chords, enlargement of the sinusoids, and liver steatosis) of the fish. The potassium permanganate widely used in controlling external fungal, bacterial and protozoan infections of fish should not be indiscriminately used.

Keywords: Potassium permanganate, histopathology, biochemical, Clarias gariepinus