African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (1), pp. 117-122, January 2005   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2004 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Histopathology of the gill and liver tissues of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus exposed to lead

OLOJO, E. A. A. ¹*, OLURIN, K. B., ¹MBAKA, G. and OLUWEMIMO, A. D.¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, P. M. B. 2002, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.

²Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, P.M.B. 2002, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-Mail: emmanuelolojo@yahoo.co.uk

An investigation on the effect of the heavy metal, lead (Pb) on the gill and liver of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus was carried out in the laboratory. One hundred and sixty (160) fingerlings of the fish were exposed to continuous exposure to sub-lethal concentrations (0.006 mg/l and 0.008 mg/l) of lead for a period of three weeks. The liver and gill of fish were removed every 9 days for histological examination. The results showed that the degree of distortion of the gills and liver was proportional to the exposure periods and concentration of the metals was found to be dose and time dependent.

Key words: Lead, Clarias gariepinus, histopathology, gill, liver.