ABSTRACT

The main objective of this research was to investigate the harmful effects of different treatments of wastewater from a carbonated beverage industry on the genetic expression ofjuvenile Clarias gariepinus fish. Tissue samples were obtained from the gonad of juvenile C.gariepinus. The RNA was then extracted, quantified, and normalized. Complementary DNAwas synthesized, and agarose gel electrophoresis was performed. This operation followednormal norms. The findings obtained from the study demonstrated the varied expressionlevels of heatshock protein (HSP70) at concentration levels of 0%,0.5%, 1.5%, 3.5%, and 5.0%. The statistically significant association of the expression levels of the genes at different doses with the comparable controls demonstrated that the increase in the expression of heatshock protein in responseto the carbonated beverage effluent exposure was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The increase in the expression of the genes implies that C. gariepinus is adversely influenced by carbonated beverage industry waste water. Therefore, proper treatment of carbonated beverage effluent is advised before disposal in the aquatic environment to prevent any              harmful influence on aquatic environment.