Effect of water contaminated with phthalate, benzene and cyclohexane on Clarias gariepinus' cellular system

This study evaluates the effect of water contaminated with phthalate, benzene and cyclohexane (major components of municipal waste in Nigeria) on the cellular system of Clarias gariepinus. Standard enzyme assays were conducted for alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase of selected tissues of C. gariepinus cultivated in contaminated water over a period of 56 days. Generally, a significant decrease in the activity of the enzymes of the tissues of C. gariepinus cultivated in contaminated water was observed relative to the control (p<0.05). Particularly, activity of alkaline phosphatase of liver of C. gariepinus cultivated in phthalate contaminated water was found to be 8.26+/-1.42 while that of control was 14.42+/-1.09. The activity of serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase of serum of the same group of fish was found to be twice that of control. It could be inferred that membrane integrity of the tissues studied are compromised and that tissue dysfunction may result. Consumption of C. gariepinus cultivated in water contaminated with phthalate, benzene and cyclohexane could pose threats to public health.