Protective effects of dietary spirulina against cadmium chloride exposed histoarchitectural changes in the liver of freshwater catfish Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of dietary supplementation of Spirulina platensis (SP) against cadmium chloride (CdCl2) exposed catfish, Clarias batrachus was elucidated during sixty days experiment and the histoarchitectural changes in the liver were assessed. One hundred fishes (average weight 90 +/- 6 g and average length 20 +/- 4 cm) were randomly distributed (20 in each tank) into 5 treatment groups viz., T-0 (control), T-1 and T-2 (exposed to 4 ppm CdCl2) and T-3 and T-4 (exposed to 8 ppm CdCl2). Fishes of T-0, T-1 and T-3 groups were fed with normal (basal) diet, while of T-2 and T-4 fed with 10% SP supplemented diet. Deshaping of hepatocytes, eccentric position of nuclei, enucleation, and development of vacuoles in cell cytoplasm, erythrocyte infiltration into blood sinusoids and necrosis of hepatic tissue were common features of T-1 and T-3 groups of fishes, while the lesions were less severe in case of T-2 and T-4 groups of fishes fed with SP supplemented diet. Addition of spirulina at 10% level in diet was found to be beneficial to mitigates histopathological disorders of liver due to cadmium chloride exposure, and proved the protective effect of SP against liver alteration in fishes due to heavy metal toxicity. The results of the present study indicate that dietary spirulina can be recommended as a protective agent against hepatotoxicity in fishes.