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Haematological and haematopoietic response to sodium chloride stress in a freshwater air‐breathing fish Channapunctatus Bloch
Author(s) -
Dheer J. M. S.,
Dheer T. R.,
Mahajan C. L.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1986.tb05148.x
Subject(s) - sodium , haematopoiesis , biology , medicine , homeostasis , glycogen , endocrinology , chloride , zoology , chemistry , stem cell , genetics , organic chemistry
Results of experiments to determine the sensitivity of Channa punciatus to different levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) (1.2, 3.2 and 6.2g 1 −1 ) are reported. It was found that C. punctatus which is otherwise considered a hardy fish is more sensitive to higher levels of sodium chloride stress. Thus 10% of the LC50 96 h value (1.2 g 1 −1 NaCl) was found stressful as evidenced by loss in body weight, while 25 and 50% of the LC50 96 h value (3.2 and 6.2 g 1 −1 NaCl) even resulted in mortality. Haematological and associated haematopoietic investigation confirmed stress symptoms in all the parameters tested. Thus microcytic hypochromic anemia together with leucopenia was indicated at the two higher sublethal levels, i.e., 25% and 50% of LC50 96 h value. Differential leucocyte count showed that leucopenia is mainly contributed by thrombocytic and neutrophilic decrease. Other cell types, viz., eosinophils, basophils, large and small lymphocytes, showed a relatively significant (P < 0.01) increase in number. Haematopoietic studies revealed that the two penultimate stages in both RBC and neutrophil development closely follow the trend of their counterparts in the peripheral blood. However, the stem cells of both these cell types recorded significant increase under sodium chloride stress, which indicated homeostatic response. Biochemical studies revealed a depletion in blood glucose level as well as in liver and muscle glycogen reserves. Restoration to normal control conditions after 6 weeks of exposure to different levels of sodium chloride stress resulted in a cessation of mortality (if any), gain in body weight and more or less normality in all the haematological parameters within a period of 2 weeks.