Effects of the pyriproxyfen and fenthion on the gonadal morphology of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus: Perciformes, Cichlidae)

• Published in: Journal of fish biology Vol. 104; no. 4; pp. 1193 - 1201
• Main Authors: Moises Marques e Silva, Glaucia, Lins Oliveira, Jorge Eduardo, B. Silva Farias, Naisandra, Júnior, Raimundo F. A., Nascimento, Wallace S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-04-2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Acute toxicity; Aquaculture; Aquatic organisms; Captivity; Caspase; Cichlidae; Damage; Exposure; Fenthion; Fish; Freshwater; Freshwater fish; Freshwater fishes; gonadal morphology; Gonadosomatic index; Growth factors; Inland water environment; Insecticides; Juveniles; Males; Marine fishes; Morphology; Morphometry; Necrosis; Oreochromis niloticus; Pest control; Pesticides; Polyculture (aquaculture); Pyriproxyfen; reproduction; Seminiferous tubule; Tilapia; Toxicity; Tubules; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Oreochromis niloticus; gonadal morphology; insecticides; reproduction
• ISSN: 0022-1112; 1095-8649
• DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15656

Commercially available insecticides present acute toxicity to the health of fish and other aquatic organisms, which may impair the local aquaculture. This study evaluated the gonadal morphology of freshwater fish exposed to pyriproxyfen and fenthion. Forty‐five juvenile male Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus) were divided into control, pyriproxyfen‐exposed (0.01 g/L), and fenthion‐exposed (0.001 g/L) groups. They were evaluated in three moments (30, 60, and 90 days). The variables analyzed were the gonadosomatic index (GSI), weight to length ratio, seminiferous tubules morphometry (diameter and height), tissue damage, and immunohistochemical analysis for caspase‐3, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Pyriproxyfen and fenthion injured the seminiferous tubule tissue, and the damage progressed according to the exposure time. In addition, the GSI gradually reduced over time in all groups compared with the first moment (30 days), while caspase‐3, TNF‐α, and VEGF values increased only in the fenthion‐exposed group. Therefore, pyriproxyfen and fenthion changed the gonadal morphology of male Oreochromis niloticus, which may affect their reproduction in the wild or captivity.