Effect of Partial Feed Deprivation on Serum Liver Enzymes’ Activities and Hepatic Histoarchitecture in Clarias gariepinus (African Catfish)

The aim of this study was to evaluate serum liver enzymes’ activities and hepatic histoarchitecture in partially feed-deprived Clarias gariepinus (African Catfish). A total of forty-eight (48) active, live and apparently normal catfish randomly placed into two groups were used for this study. Fish in control group (labeled B) were fed with 4% of their body weight twice daily while fish in the feed-deprived group (labeled A) were fed with 25% of that quantity fed to the control group. Blood and liver samples were obtained at intervals of 7 days for 28 days for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and for histopathology respectively. Results revealed significantly higher (P < 0.05) values for ALT, AST and ALP in the feed-deprived group (A) compared to the control group (B). On histopathology, liver sections of feed-deprived fish showed lipid vacuolation and this became accentuated over the period and most prominent on day 28. The study has demonstrated that starvation in catfish produced liver damage reflected by increase in serum activities of these liver enzymes.