Premium
Elevated Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) Levels in Goldfish as an Indicator of Gill Dysfunction
Author(s) -
Nelson Keith,
Jones Jennifer,
Jacobson Suzanne,
Reimschuessel Renate
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of aquatic animal health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1548-8667
pISSN - 0899-7659
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8667(1999)011<0052:ebunbl>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - blood urea nitrogen , gentamicin , creatinine , biology , hyperplasia , medicine , gill , endocrinology , necrosis , nephrotoxicity , kidney , fish <actinopterygii> , biochemistry , fishery , antibiotics
We examined the effects of copper‐induced gill proliferation and gentamicin‐induced renal tubular injury on serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in goldfish Carassius auratus. Fish were given intraperitoneal injections of gentamicin or phospate‐buffered saline and kept in either freshwater or copper‐treated (100 μg/L) water. Those fish injected with gentamicin showed histologic signs of tubular necrosis. The copper‐treated fish had extensive gill epithelial cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Serum BUN levels were significantly higher in copper‐exposed fish than in freshwater fish, regardless of gentamicin treatment. Serum creatinine levels were unchanged by any of the treatments. This indicates that excretion of nitrogenous wastes across gill membranes is an important part of endogenous toxin removal. However, creatinine serum levels are apparently unaffected by either gill damage or kidney failure. Elevated BUN levels in teleosts may serve as a clinical indication of respiratory and excretory compromise due to respiratory epithelial cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia.