PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE ACUTE TOXICITY EFFECTS OF FRIED CAT FISH EXTRACT ON BIOCHEMICAL, HEMATOLOGICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF WISTAR RATS

Some food processing techniques have been linked with formation of toxic chemicals known as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in some processed foods and have been widely attributed to the prevalence of cancer of liver and stomach in Nigeria. However, the toxicological effects of the consumption of fried fish have not been adequately documented. Therefore, this study investigated the toxicological effects of PAHs in fried cat fish on Wistar rats. Fifty five rats were used in the study and they were divided into control and ten treatment groups with daily administration of fried fish extract at dosage of 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 mg/kg body weight to the rats for 14 days. The results showed that the activities of serum, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phospherase (ALP), asparte aminotransferase (AST) as well as urea and creatinine concentration were affected across the treated groups of animals which were indications for hepatorenal damage. White blood cell (WBC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) showed significant changes in response to the administered dosage compared to the control. The liver showed no significant histopathological changes between the test rats and control. The architecture of sections of kidney treated groups was similar to that of the control in which the renal corpuscles maintained their normal size of urinary space and normal tubular structures with no necrosis observed. The result revealed that there can be potential toxicity if there is repeated indulgence to fried cat fish at the temperatures between 160 – 230 oC.