GENE EXPRESSION STUDIES ON THE GENOTOXIC EFFECT OF A BREWERY EFFLUENT ON THE AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus)

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to ascertain the DNA integrity of the liver tissue of Clarias gariepinus exposed to varying concentrations (1, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 %) of a brewery effluent. Juveniles of C. gariepinus were collected from a fish farm in Benin City, and was acclimatized for 7days before exposure to the different treatment concentrations for 96 hours. After exposure, RNA was extracted from the fish liver followed with polymerase chain reaction in a molecular laboratory. Results obtained from the analysis revealed that there were significant(p < 0.05) differences between the genetic profiles in the treatment groups (IL-1B, CYPIIA, HSP70, DMRTI, HSD17B, FOX12, MELIC, CAMKIIg, and GH) compared to the control. The findings in this study indicate that the brewery effluent contains toxic substances which are responsible for the changes observed in the genetic profiles of the African catfish (C. gariepinus)which could disrupt the normal physiological processes in the organism. It is therefore recommended that the brewery effluent should be properly treated before release into the environment.