Metabolic and histological studies on the effect of garlic administration on the carnivorous fish Chrysichthys auratus<./i>

Abstract

Chrysichthys auratus fish were orally administered with doses of garlic (Allium sativum) juice equivalent to 2g per kg body wt, as a single dose or the same dose every 48h for 5 and 11 days. The results showed a hypoglycaemia, hypolipidaemia, hypocholesterolaemia, hypotriglyceridaemia and drop in serum TFAA as well as promotion of lipogenesis and glycogenesis in white muscle in response to repeated doses of garlic. Such results may correlate with elevation of insulin release in the fish following garlic administration. Histological and biochemical studies confirmed liver glycogen depletion and liver histopathological changes including vacuolation, hypertrophy and degeneration of some hepatocytes, and dilatation and congestion of some blood vessels. Histopathological changes of the kidney were vacuolation and rupture of some renal tubules, and degeneration of the parietal cells of some Malpighian corpuscles. Garlic decreased the amount of collagenous fibres in both liver and kidney, and reduced carbohydrate content in the kidney. In spite of some cell degeneration in the liver and renal tubules, serum AST and ALT did not show any significant changes, while serum ALP was decreased. Generally, it could be concluded that garlic strongly affected carbohydrate metabolism in Chrysichthys auratus. Garlic may improve carbohydrate metabolism, probably lowering the dietary protein costs of the fish; the damage of garlic on both liver and kidney in this work may be attributed to the relative high dose of garlic used.

KEY WORDS: garlic, fish, liver, kidney, histology, glycogenesis, lipogenesis. et al. 2000).

Egyptian Journal of Botany Vol.5 2003: 94-107