Action of Carbofuran Technical on Tissue Lipids of Freshwater Catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

Female catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis, Bl.) were exposed to sublethal doses of carbofuran technical pesticide (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/I) for 30 days during the prespawning phase of the annual reproductive cycle (May-June) .. Cholesterol, total lipid and its fatty acid contents were determined in the liver and in the ovary. Cholesterol and total lipid increased significantly in the liver but remained unchanged in' the ovary. This is an indication of the inhibitory effect of carbofuran on the mobilization of hepatic cholesterol and total lipid. In both organs, the predominant fatty acids in total lipid were palmitic (C16:0),palmitolic (C16:1), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C13:2), and arachidonic (C20:4), both in the controlled and in the treated fish. However, eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:J, were absent among fish receiving high doses of carbofuran. The polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio (w3/w6) was reduced among treated fish in comparison to the controlled ones. It is concluded that the lipid metabolism in catfish is affected by the technical grade of carbofuran.