Philippine E-Journals

HEMATOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE TESTIES AND LIVER OF MALE AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus) FED RATION SUPPLEMENTED WITH Vernonia amygdalina Del

Oluwatoyin O. Ajala | Adedoyin O. Owoyemi | Oluwasanmi O. Aina

 

Abstract:

The haematological and histological features of 56 male Clarias gariepinus fish weighing 450 ±50 g were studied after supplementing their diet with V. Amygdalina Del leaves at four inclusion leves: 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% for 45 days. The duplicate design was used in the conduct of the experiment. Hematology, testosterone assay, condition indices, Histology of the liver and testes and histomorphometry of the testes were then studied. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the complete blood count, testosterone concentration, gonadosomatic index and hepatosomatic index across the groups. Histology of the liver revealed greater hepatocytes vacuolation in treated groups than the control while the histology of the testes showed the control had the best histological integrity of all the groups. The 10% and 15% groups had significantly higher seminiferous tubule widths. The results of the study show that V. Amygdalina had no significant effects on most of the studied parameters of fish and may not be steroidogenic; hence, the leaf can be included in the diet of male C. Gariepinus at the tested levels with some degree of caution.