CHRONIC REVELATION TO SODIUM FLUORIDE INDUCES PATHOHISTOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN INTESTINE OF POECILIA RETICULATA PETER HITESH U. SHINGADIA Department of Zoology SVKM's Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science and Amrutben Jivanlal College and Economics, Vile Parle - West Mumbai 400 056 Maharashtra India E-mail: hiteshshingadia26@gmail.com Received on : 16.12.2013 and Accepted Revised on : 28.06.2014 Bionano Frontier, Vol.(2) July to December 2014, 293-296 BIONANO FRONTIER Vol.7(2) July - December 2014 293 Print ISSN 0974-0678, Online : 2320-9593, www.bionanofrontier.org ABSTRACT: The changes in histoarchitecture were observed in the intestine of Poecilia reticulata Peters exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (5.75ppm, 7.18ppm and 9.58ppm) of Sodium fluoride for 60 days. The degenerative and irrevocable changes observed were loss of structural integrity of mucosal folds, degeneration of mucosal epithelium, vacuolation and decrease in number and rupture of goblet cells. The epithelial cell wall, lining the intestinal villi was seen ruptured at many places. Intervillous space decreased resulting in the fusion of the adjacent villi. The flask shaped goblet cells became spherical with decrease in their number & ruptured epithelial cell lining. Columnar cells of villi formed homogenous mass due necrosis of intestinal tissue. Serosa of intestine was ruptured; loosening the longitudinal muscles leaving narrow spaces. Thinness of circular muscle increased causing obliteration of submucosa, which showed disruption with atrophy. The present investigation has established the fact that fluoride is a double edged sword resulting in non-skeletal fluorosis at tissue level in Guppy, a fish exclusively used in Biological control of pests. Keywords: Intestine, Pathohistology, Poecilia reticulata Peters, Sodium fluoride. INTRODUCTION : Evaluation of quality of water resource from is an imperative aspect for the developmental activities of the region, because rivers, lake and manmade reservoir are used for water supply to domestic, industrial, agricultural, fish culture and also for enhancing aesthetics of the environment. The fish as a bioindicator species plays an increasingly important role in the monitoring of water pollution since it responds with greater sensitivity to the changes in the aquatic environment (Chavan and Muley, 2014). Hence past few decades several researchers have investigated effects of different toxicants and observed their chronic significance on histoarchitecture of fish tissues, which are efficient indicators of quality of water (Cengiz et al., 2001). Chronic undeviating effects and induced effects of toxicant exposure are of inevitable significance to those concerned with the aquatic environment, since they more closely represent natural situations. The damage to the various tissues due to chronic exposure is more severe than that occurring due to acute exposure; this is because the organism gets exposed to the deleterious or toxic environment for a considerably long period of time. The toxic effects of fluoride are known to mankind since long & many workers have well documented the same in past (Saxena et al., 2001; Gupta, 2003; Kumar et al., 2007; Devi & Piska, 2009; Shingadia and Agharia, (2013). Fluoride is referred to as a double-edged sword has received much attention by researchers since past few decades. Fluoride is distributed far and wide in nature in numerous forms. Fluorides originate in ground water from fluoride rich rocks, volcanic rock and clay mineral, due to industrial effluents discharged directly into them and also by anthropogenic activities. Review of literature reveals wide range of structural & biochemical changes in vital tissue of experimental animal subjected to chronic fluoride intoxication (Choudhary & Gaur, 2001; Raaz Maheshwari, 2004; Shingadia, 2011). The toxic effects of fluoride are not just confined to skeletal or dental tissue but the soft tissue are not spared as well. The test fish, Poecilia reticulata Peters is commonly called Guppy fish. Guppies are larvivorous fish, hence rampantly used as a tool in the biological control of pest. Though not eatable, its significant contribution in control of mosquitoes cannot be ruled out in space and time. The current investigation is an attribute to divulge impact of fluoride (NaF) causing non-skeletal fluorosis in intestinal tissue of Poecilia reticulata Peters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The test fish Poecilia reticulata Peters measuring 3.5+0.1cm & average weight of 0.52+0.002g were acclimated in the laboratory for two weeks and fed with standard pellet food. The physico-chemical parameters like temperature, pH, DO, Free Carbon dioxide, total hardness alkalinity and acidity of aged tap water were analyzed using standard methods as given in APHA (2005). Twenty five acclimated healthy fish were exposed to three sub-lethal concentrations of Sodium fluoride (NaF) viz. lowest (5.75ppm), lower intermediate (7.18ppm) and higher intermediate (9.58ppm). The doses were selected on the basis of 96 hrs. LC value of 115ppm. A 50 duplicate set of this experiment was simultaneously run for confirmation of the results. Control set with same number of test fish but without any toxicant was also run simultaneously. The tests were carried out in glass aquaria measuring 60x30x30cm³ dimensions. The amount of water in each tank was 2.0L/g body weight of the test fish. Entire water from each tank was replaced every alternate day to avoid any accumulation of metabolic wastes and to keep the level of toxicants in the respective tanks constant. At the end of