INTRODUCTION

Most information about the environmental pollutants on aquatic animals has been obtained from mortality studies. The copper sulphate is used as molluscicide to control terrestrial and aquatic mollusks. The heavy met- als are a serious threat to aquatic environment, particu- larly the invertebrate species because of their toxicity and tendency to accumulate in such delicate organisms, which lead to increased effects due to bio magnification

ARTICLE INFORMATION:

*Corresponding Author: sandhya.sonawane@gmail.com Received 15th May, 2015

Accepted after revision 30th June, 2015 BBRC Print ISSN: 0974-6455

Online ISSN: 2321-4007 NAAS Journal Score : 3.48

©A Society of Science and Nature Publication, 2015. All rights reserved.

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in the food chain,(Ali and Naaz 2013, Ali 2014, Mahajan et al., 2014 and Sangeetha et al., 2015).

Often very little is known about disturbed physi- ological and biochemical processes within an organism following exposure to environmental poisons. To better understand potential harmfulness of various pollutants, the biochemical assessment after exposure to pollutants of different nature plays an important role. The lipid metabolite is an important constituent of animal tissue, which plays a prime role in energy metabolism.

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Lipids are also important in cellular membranes. Long before, Shigmastus and Takeshita, (1959) observed that after glycogen lipids were used as an energy source. Lip- ids are used as energy reservoir and these are stored and transported in the form of glycerol and esters. Naga- bhushnam et al., (1987) studied the lipid levels in the prawn, Macrobrachium kistnensis when exposed to thi- odan and fenthioate.

Verma and Tank, (1983) studied the effect of pollut- ants on the tissue of fish Notopterus notopterus. Rao et al., (1987) studied biochemical composition in respect to pH and fluoride in the bivalve Indonaia caeruleus. Present work was designed to study the total lipid con- tent of foot, mantle digestive gland and whole body of Lamellidens marginalis after acute and chronic exposure to copper sulphate.

Heavy metals are recognized as a strong biotoxicants, because of their persistent nature and cumulative action to the aquatic fiora and fauna (Sharma and Agrawal, 2005). Phospholipids, also called structural lipids, are playing an important role in the cell membranes formation (Zam- bare, 1991; Waykar,2004;Martinez-Pita et al., 2011).

Shaikh, (2011) has also studied the lipid alterations in various animals after exposure to toxicants.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The freshwater bivalve Lamellidens marginalis were acclimatized to laboratory conditions (pH of water 7.5 to 7.7, Oxygen content = 5.4 to 5.8 and O2/lit. and temper-

Sandhya M. Sonawane

ature = 27” C) up to two-three days. The healthy active bivalve of medium size were divided into two groups, one was kept as control and another as experimental.

The experimental bivalves were exposed 1.6 ppm CuSO4 (up to 72 hrs. as acute treatment. At the interval of 24 hrs. control and treated bivalves were dissected to analyze the lipid content. In chronic treatment experi- mental bivalves were exposed to 0.82 ppm CuSo4, for 20 days. The control and treated bivalve were fed by algae during treatment. At the interval of 5 days the living bivalves were dissected to analyse the Lipid content of whole body, foot, digestive gland and mantle.

To estimate the lipid content vanilin reagent method was used (Barnes and Blackstoch,. 1973). The lipid con- tent from wet tissues was estimated.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

There was an adverse toxic effect of copper sulphate on the bivalve Lamellidens marginalis. After acute expo- sure to copper sulphate lipid content of whole body, foot digestive gland and mantle was altered (Table-1).

In acute exposure of copper sulphate the average lipid content was changed significantly. The total lipid content of foot was decreased from 1.-40 % to 1.03 % in 72 hours treatment. The lipid content of digestive gland increased from 3.2% to 4.34% in 72 hours of treatment.

In chronic exposure to copper sulphate the average lipid content of whole body of Lamellidens marginalis was decreased from 2.14 % to 1.92 % (P0.01) The total

lipid content of foot and mantle from 1.42% to 1.40%

&1.33% to 1.08% respectively at the end of 20 days. The lipid content of the digestive gland increased from 3.01% to 4.10% at the end of 20 days of chronic treat- ment of copper sulphate. The decreased total Lipid con- tent in organs of Lamellidens marginalis after copper sulphate exposure may be due to reduced synthesis of lipid or increased activity of lipases involved indication of lipids, (Demir et al., 2005).

According to Rao and Ramamurthi, (1982) the increase in activity of enzyme lipase is for increasing lipolytic activity to meet the increased demand of energy dur- ing stress. The lipid alterations in various animals after exposure to toxicants have been studied by many work- ers, (Coley and Jenson, 1973; Bhagyalakshmi, 1981; Patil 1986 and Chaudhari 1988).

Rao, (1979) stated that considerable decrease in total lipids in tissue might be due to drastic decrease in gly- cogec content in the same tissue which is an immediate source of energy during toxic stress condition. After gly- cogen, lipid content may be used for energy production to over come toxic stress.

Some workers support the results in which lipid con- tent decreases in animals after pollutant exposure. Cop- uzzi and Lancaster, (1981) reported significant decrease in lipids of post larval lobsters when exposed to pollut- ants. Kulkarni et al., (1984) have also studied the effect of pollutants on lipid content of the organs of leech Hirudi biramnica and demonstrated decreased lipid content.

Lipids play an important role in energy metabolism after glycogen lipids are used as energy source (Shigma-

tus and Takeshita, 1959). Swami et al., (1983) suggested a shift in carbohydrate and protein metabolism to lipid synthesis in Lamellidens marginalis exposed to flodit and metacid.

The increase in lipid content of digestive gland after toxic stress in the bivalve, Lamellidens marginalis can be explained on the basis of observations made by Coley and Jensen, (1973).

Values are expressed as mg/100mg dry weight of tis- sue. +_ indicates standard deviation of three independent replications. + or – indicates % variation over control.

CONCLUSION

The data of the present findings suggest that there was an adverse toxic effect of copper sulphate on the bivalve Lamellidens marginalis. After acute exposure to cop- per sulphate lipid content of whole body, foot diges- tive gland and mantle was altered. In acute lipid content of foot decreased from 1.-40 % to 1.03 % in 72 hours treatment. The lipid content of digestive gland increased from 3.2% to 4.34% in 72 hrs of treatment, due to the stress conditions of copper sulphate exposure .

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