Effect of Paper Mill Effluent on Lipid Profile of Freshwater Snake Headed Fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch, 1793)

Industrial effluents reaching the aquatic ecosystem through various routes like run-off, leaching, and direct discharge from factories are major causes of environmental pollution. These were reported to have a negative metabolic impact on different non-target aquatic organisms. Fish is a close inhabitant of the aquatic environment, serves as a useful model for assessing the effect of chemicals mixed in the aquatic environment. Channa punctatus Bloch (Actinopterygii: Channidae), one of the most common edible fish, if exposed to industrial effluents containing harmful substances, maybe a serious threat to human health. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the effect of sublethal concentrations of paper mill effluent on lipid profiles of Channa punctatus after exposure to 96 hours. A significant increase was observed in total serum lipid, cholesterol, and phospholipid with decreased triglyceride levels. A significant increase was observed in the cholesterol and triglycerides levels, whereas total lipids and phospholipid levels showed a marked decline in the liver. Thus present study concludes that the estimation of the lipids profile of fish will certainly detect early signs of stress physiology concerning their habitat.