Aberrations of the peripheral erythrocytes and its recovery patterns in a freshwater teleost, silver barb exposed to profenofos.

The present experiment was conducted to explicate the genotoxic effects of profenofos, an organophosphate insecticide, on the erythrocytes of silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus). Silver barb were exposed to a solution of 10% and 50% of lethal concentrations (LC50 ) of profenofos as sub-lethal concentrations at different days (1, 7, 15, and 30 d), along with a control (0% profenofos). Subsequent recovery patterns were assessed allowing the fish exposed to profenofos free water for the same period that they were exposed to profenofos. Our results revealed that with the progression of time and concentration, fish exposed to profenofos showed significantly (p < .05) higher level of erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) such as micronuclei, bi-nuclei, degenerated nuclei, notched nuclei, nuclear bridge and nuclear buds, as well as erythrocytic cellular abnormalities (ECA) such as echinocytic, elongated, fusion, spindle, tear-drop and twin shaped cells. After exposure, the silver barb recovered spontaneously, and the abnormal erythrocytic parameters were normalized with a concentration- and duration-dependent fashion. Therefore, these abnormalities and their recovery can be used to assess the toxic levels of pesticides on aquatic organisms. There is great potential to use this technique as in vivo to predict susceptibility of aquatic animals to environmental pollution.