Evaluation of chromium toxicity on hepatic health of Labeo rohita under controlled laboratory conditions
Abstract
The current study aimed to assess the impact of chromium toxicity on hepatic biomarkers and oxidative stress in Labeo rohita (L. rohita) under controlled laboratory conditions. A total of 240 acclimated fish were randomly allocated to four treatment groups, each consisting of three replicates. The treatment groups T1, T2, and T3 were exposed to 1/10th, 1/5th, and 1/3rd of the 96-hour LC₅₀ concentration of chromium, respectively, while fourth group served as the control without chromium exposure. The experiment was conducted at a constant water temperature (30 ± 1 °C) and pH (7.5). Fish samples were collected on the 7th, 14th, and 28th days post-exposure for biochemical analysis of liver enzymes like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) along with albumin, globulin, total protein and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels. The results showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in hepatic enzyme (ALP, ALT and AST) activities, antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT) and LPO levels with increasing chromium concentrations and exposure duration, indicating progressive hepatic damage and oxidative stress. Conversely, total protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations showed a marked decline across all treated groups compared to the control, with the lowest values observed in fish exposed to the 1/3rd LC₅₀ concentration on the 28th day. These findings suggest that chromium exposure exerts dose- and time-dependent hepatotoxic effects in L. rohita, leading to impaired liver function and enhanced lipid peroxidation. The study provides valuable baseline information for understanding chromium-induced biochemical alterations in freshwater fish species and can contribute to environmental risk assessment and aquatic health management.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
Thanks
References
- Aebi, H. (1984). Catalase in vitro. Methods in Enzymology, 105, 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(84)05016-3
- Almeida, J. A., Novelli, E. L. B., Silva, M. D. P., & Júnior, R. A. (2001). Environmental cadmium exposure and metabolic responses of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Environmental Pollution, 114(2), 169–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00221-9
- APHA (American Public Health Association). (2012). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (22nd ed.). APHA, AWWA, WEF.
- Azmat, H., & Javed, M. (2011). Acute toxicity of chromium to Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhina mrigala under laboratory conditions. International Journal of Agriculture & Biology, 13(6), 961–965.
- Azmat, H., Javed, M., Hussain, S. M., Javid, A., & Jabeen, G. (2016). Impacts of physico-chemical parameters on fish growth under heavy metal stress. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 48(3), 795–807.
- Banaee, M., Haghi, B. N., & Ibrahim, A. T. (2014). Sub-lethal toxicity of chlorpyrifos on common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758): Biochemical response. International Journal of Aquatic Biology, 1(6), 281–288. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijab.v1i6.144
- Bashir, M. S., Ramzan, N., Najam, T., Abbas, G., Gu, X., Arif, M., Qasim, M., Bashir, H., Shah, S. S. A., & Sillanpää, M. (2022). Metallic nanoparticles for catalytic reduction of toxic hexavalent chromium from aqueous medium: A state-of-the-art review. Science of the Total Environment, 829, 154475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154475
- Braunbeck, T. (1994). Sublethal and chronic effects of pollutants on freshwater fish. In R. Müller & R. Lloyd (Eds.), Sublethal and chronic effects of pollutants on freshwater fish (pp. 15–29). Blackwell Science.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Aquaculture
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Iqra Mukhtar
This is me
0009-0007-9884-0532
Pakistan
Hamda Azmat
*
0000-0002-5997-4550
Pakistan
Fakhira Khalid
This is me
0000-0001-6792-4337
Pakistan
Syed Makhdoom Hussain
This is me
0000-0001-5087-3887
Pakistan
Sidra Safdar
This is me
0000-0002-2120-4104
Pakistan
Iqra Qaisrani
This is me
0009-0003-2057-5995
Pakistan
Early Pub Date
June 18, 2026
Publication Date
June 25, 2026
Submission Date
December 31, 2025
Acceptance Date
May 20, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 2