Effects of Ammonium Chloride on Some Vital Organs of Snakehead Fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch.)

The present study includes the chronic exposure of sublethal concentrations (20 mg/L) of inorganic fertilizer, ammonium chloride for 30 days to snakehead fish, Channa punctatus caused histopathological alteration in some vital organs. There were very significant histopathological changes were observed in gill, liver, intestine and kidney of treated fish group. The ammonium chloride treated fish group showed lamellar fusion, deterioration of secondary lamellae, hemorrhage and destruction of gill arches in gill. The remarkable changes like hyperemia, vacuolar degeneration, necrosis and mononuclear cells filtration in portal regions were observed in liver of treated fish group. The very distinguish alterations like hydropic degeneration, necrosis, desquamation in epithelium cells at the apex of the villi and mononuclear cell infiltration in the lamina propria were observed in kidney and proximal and distal tubules cellular shrinkage, nuclear pycnosis, and vacuolar degenerative changes in the tubular epithelium were observed in treated fish group. The finding of present investigation clearly analyzed that ammonium chloride caused dysfunction of some vital organs of C. punctatus. The study suggested that contamination of fertilizer, ammonium chloride in fish culture pond water should be avoided to fish production.