Several authors have documented the presences of
acetaminophen (
APAP) in both surface and groundwater and have received attention from government agencies and basic authorities across the globe. The impacts of such pharmaceutical products on non-target organism like fish are underestimated as a result of selected investigation using few
biomarkers. We evaluated the sub-chronic impacts of
APAP in female catfish (Clarias gariepinus) using multiple
biomarkers. The exposure of female catfish to
APAP induced oxidative stress. Markers such as
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total
antioxidant capacity (TAC) were significantly higher in all exposed groups. Exposure of Clarias gariepinus to
APAPA caused histological alterations in the gills (fusion and shortening of some filaments,
hyperplasia of the epithelial gill cells, aneurism, congestion, and epithelial
rupture of the gills), liver (apoptotic
hyperplasia, sinusoidal congestion, and
necrosis of the hepatocytes), and gonad (degenerated follicles and ovarian apoptosis). Furthermore, multivariate results indicated that there was a distinct response from the
acetaminophen-exposed female catfish, with over 95% of the
biomarkers significantly contributing to the discrimination between the
acetaminophen-exposed female catfish and the control groups. Our research provides evidence supporting the use of a multiple
biomarker approach to evaluate the impacts of drugs on the health status of exposed fish.