Histological Studies on the Cadmium Chloride Exposed Air-Breathing Fish, Heteropnuestes fossilis (Bloch) With Special Reference to Ovaries

ABSTRACT The present study was carried out to evaluate the sub-lethal effect of cadmium chloride in the ovaries of the air-breathing fish, Heteropnuestes fossilis which were kept in aqueous solution of cadmium chloride of two sub-lethal concentrations of 6mg/l and 9mg/l for 15, 30 and 45 days. The histopathological effect of CdCl 2 in ovaries is characterised by enlarged oocytes after 15 days of 6 mg/l exposure and degeneration of egg envelope after 30 days. After 45 days the atretic follicles appeared and nucleoi got scattered. In 9 mg/l concentration after 15 days, ovary wall got slightly thin and ruptured whereas enlarged interfollicular spaces were observed after 30 days and after 45 days egg envelopes got degenerated