Histopathological alteration in the livers of striped snakehead murrel (Channa striatus) grow-out fed with different dietary fats

Abstract

The livers of teleost fish are susceptible to numerous disturbances including metabolic changes. Different types of fat in the diets were evaluated to observe their impact on the hepatic tissues of saul (Channa striatus). The saulgrow-out having an initial average weight 27.36 ± 0.09 to 32.54 ± 0.41 g were fed with seven experimental diets (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6 and a control, F7 of natural foodstuffs, NATFO for 12-weeks). F1 (L3HUF) contains 0.5% n-3 fatty acid& 7.5% saturated oil; F2 (H3HUF) contains 1.0% n-3 fatty acid& 7.0% saturated oil; F3 (MUSOL) contains 8.0% mustard oil; F4 (LINOL) contains 8.0% linseed oil; F5 (MIXOL) contains 4.0% mustard oil and 4.0 % linseed oil; F6 (SATOL) contains 8.0% saturated oil. The control fishes were fed with live natural food. Livers of 3 fishes from each treatment were excised and processed for routine histo-pathological evaluation. The histo-architectural changes in hepatic tissue, following dietary fat interventions, were assessed under light microscopy. F-1, showing vacuolization in cells; F-2, showing normal hepatocytes with some vacuolization; F-3, showing normal hepatocytes and central vein; F-4, showing necrotic patches and enlarged cells; F-5, showing necrotic normal cells; F-6, showing normal cells and central vein with vacuolization. Liver of Channa striatus fed with natural food (NATFO, F7) showing normal architecture of liver with nucleated hepatocytes with cytoplasm and connective tissue cells. The results revealed some pathological changes in the liver tissue like fatty degeneration, cellular necrosis, vacuolization and which was found with least effects, observed with addition of various dietary fats. It was concluded that supplementation of various fats has role in the histological alterations, at cellular level, in the hepatic tissues in this carnivore fish and the fat could be safely used for better fish quality in terms of fatty acid deposition and economizing the feed cost.