Comparative Assessment of Chlorpyrifos and Bifenthrin Induced Hepatorenal and Reproductive Toxicity in Cyprinus...

Current study was designed to investigate chlorpyrifos (CPF), bifenthrin (BF), and combination of CPF + BF induced hepatorenal and reproductive toxicity in Cyprinus carpio. Fish were exposed to CPF, BF, and their mixture (CPF + BF) to determine their acute and sub-lethal toxicity. The 96-h LC₅₀ of CPF, BF, and CPF + BF was 14.85, 4.38, and 1.90μgL^-1 respectively, indicating more pronounced toxicity of mixture group. During sublethal experiment, fish were treated with 1/3rd of respective LC₅₀ for 30 days. The results revealed significant reduction in antioxidant activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) while an increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was noted in liver, kidney, and testes of treated groups. Similarly, DNA damage in term of reduced head length and %DNA in head, while increased tail length, %DNA in tail and tail moment was evident in treated groups. Histological analysis of liver, kidney and testis showed various pathological alterations. Liver histology revealed shrinkage of nuclei, vacuolization in cytoplasm and necrosis in treated groups. While increased space among Bowman's and glomerulus capsule and degeneration of urinary tubules of kidney were observed in exposed groups. Similarly, insecticides exposure caused reduction in spermatozoa and increased interstitial spaces along with degenerated epithelium as seen in testicular tissues. It was observed that combined exposure of CPF + BF induced more prominent toxic effects than individual exposure, suggesting potential synergistic interaction between these insecticides. These findings revealed the potential environmental risk associated with insecticide exposed aquatic ecosystem.