Effect of starvation on some of the morphological and hematological parameters of Barbus grypus

Objective: In this study the effect of starvation on some morphological characters, including weight and length body; condition factor, liver weight, hepatosomatic index, visceral fat content and tissue moisture and haematological parameters, including plasma glucose, protein, cholesterol, cortisol levels and hematocrit was investigated. Method & Materials: After acclimation to experimental conditions, two groups of 45 fish (140±20g ), were assigned to two outdoor concrete ponds (4 m × 2.7 m × 1.5 m each), as fed and unfed groups. After commencing the experiment, one group deprived of food and the second group fed at the rate of 1.7 % of bw/day with a commercial diet. Sampling was carried out at beginning and 10; 20; 30; 40; 50and 60 days after start of the experiment by taking five fish randomly from each group. Results & Conclusion: Results indicated that starvation can significantly effects body weight and length, liver weight, and hepato-somatic index. Despite a great fluctuations and differences among the fat content, moisture and condition factor, no significant difference were found among the fed and unfed groups. Nevertheless starvation significantly affected plasma glucose and cortisol level (p<0.05), but the protein level was not affected significantly. Although haematocrit values recorded during starvation period showed no significant difference with the initial value, a significant difference was found between the fed and unfed groups at the end of the experiment (p<0.05). Cholesterol level declined initially but increased towards the end of the experiment, so that no significant differences were found between the fed and unfed fish. In conclusion, results indicate a correlation between starvation and some of the morphological and haematological characters, but it was more pronounced with morphological characters rather than the haematological ones, which could possibly be justified with a high homeostatic potential of blood.

کلیدواژه ها:

Starvation ، Barbus grypus ، Morphological and haematological characters