Toxicological Impacts of Pendimethalin on the Brain of Cyprinus carpio: A Histopathological Approach

Abstract

Agricultural pesticides negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. A dinitroaniline herbicide pendimethalin is used to control weeds and unwanted grasses in crop fields but it can reach water streams indirectly and harm aquatic fauna including fish. The main objective of our study was to find histopathological alterations caused by pendimethalin in the brain of Cyprinus carpio. The whole procedure was done using a histopathological approach by processing brain tissue, making slides, and analyzing these slides under a light microscope to observe changes in brain tissue. Acute toxicity was found by obtaining 96h LC50 value i.e., 2.20μl/L. Fishes were divided into 3 groups: The first group was assigned as the control group., second and third groups was administered with 1/10th and 1/15th concentration of calculated 96 h LC50 (I.e., 0.22μl/L and .146μl/L). The key findings of our study demonstrated that control fish brains do not show any morphological changes in structure. The second and third groups exposed to pendimethalin showed severe damage to the brain including vacuolization, necrosis in neurons, deformed pyramidal cells, clustering of nuclei, binucleate formation and nuclear infiltration compared to the control fish brain. The findings of our study have significant implications for understanding the neurotoxic effects of pendimethalin on aquatic species, specifically about brain structure and function. The study emphasizes the crucial role of neurotoxicity assessments in environmental risk assessments, which can save particular species and preserve the general equilibrium and resilience of aquatic habitats.