Neurotoxicity Assessment of Untreated and Vermifiltration‐Treated Pharmaceutical Effluent Using Different Toxicity Biomarkers in Fish <scp> <i>Channa punctata</i> </scp>

Pharmaceutical industrial effluent consisting of a complex cocktail of toxic chemicals poses a significant impact on the aquatic environment. Conventional methods for treating pharmaceutical effluent are often inefficient due to high cost, environmental concerns and sludge production. In contrast, vermifiltration offers a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative especially suitable for developing countries. Consequently, the current analysis explored the toxicological influence of pharmaceutical wastewater, both untreated and vermifiltration treated, in the brain tissue of Channa punctata through oxidative stress markers, DNA damage, histopathological, and ATR-FTIR analysis. The experiment comprised three groups (control, untreated, and vermifiltration treated) with three replicates and was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) alterations in oxidative stress markers, for instance, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, and acetylcholinesterase activities, were observed in the group exposed to untreated effluent. A 2.91-, 3.02-, and 3.77-fold rise in MDA content was observed after 15, 30, and 45 days in the untreated effluent-exposed group compared to the control group. The comet assay results demonstrated a substantial increase in all the comet parameters in the untreated effluent group compared to the control group. Further severe histopathological and biomolecular anomalies were observed in the untreated effluent group. Conversely, the vermifiltration-treated group exhibited fewer alterations in enzyme activities, DNA damage, histopathological and biomolecular deviations compared to the untreated group. This reveals the less toxic nature of treated effluent. In light of the findings, we can say that vermifiltration technology has the potential to reduce environmental pollution and emerge as an environmentally friendly solution. Its ecological sustainability makes it particularly suitable for developing countries.