Effects of combined Vitamins C and E on haematological parameters and some antioxidant production levels in Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) fingerlings under laboratory conditions

Abstract

The need for improved fish diet in ensuring overall healthy growth of the fish cannot be overemphasized. The effects of combined vitamins C and E on the blood parameters, alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) in Clarias gariepinus were evaluated for a period of 12 weeks. 120 samples of the fish were acclimated for two weeks during which they were fed twice daily. These were then distributed into three treatments and replicate including control with each trough containing 15 samples thus; 200mg/L (T1), 300mg/L (T2) and 400mg/L (T3). Three samples were selected randomly every 4th week of the experiment and sacrificed for blood parameters analyses and the kidneys, liver and gills were excised and homogenised in phosphate buffer. The data generated were subjected to one way analysis of variance and considered significant at P≤0.05. From the results, the total white blood cell count (TWBC), parked cell volume (PCV) and blood haemoglobin (Hb) were significantly different in T3; while the red blood cell count (RBC) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) were significantly different in T1 at the end of the 4th week. There were significant increases in the blood platelets (PLT) as the concentration of the combined vitamins increased in both 4th and 8th weeks of the experiment. The RBC was also significantly different in the 8th and 12th weeks mostly in higher concentrations. The ALT production levels in the kidneys increased with increase in the concentration and duration of the research from T1-T3 as from the 8th and 12th weeks; with T3 mean values significantly higher in all the sampling periods. High production levels of the enzyme were also recorded in the liver and gills of the fish with T2 mean values significantly different in most of the sampling periods. The AST production levels in the kidneys and liver were significantly different in T2 and T3, respectively in all the sampling periods. The production level in the gills was significantly different in T2 in the 8th and 12th periods of sampling. The out-come of this research has proven that combined vitamins C and E can improve the physiological status of the fish and therefore, recommended in boosting the growth performance of C. gariepinus.