Effect of a glyphosate-based herbicide in Cyprinus carpio: Assessment of acetylcholinesterase activity, hematological responses and serum biochemical parameters

• The LC50-96 h of Roundup® herbicide to common carp was determined.
• Sub-lethal concentrations of Roundup® altered the serum enzyme activities.
• Roundup® inhibited the AChE activity in tissues of gill, liver, muscle and brain.
• It had a significant effect on the hematological factors in sub-lethal treatments.

The objective of this study was to investigate the toxicity effects of acute and sublethal of Roundup® as a glyphosate-based herbicide on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and several hematological and biochemical parameters of Cyprinus carpio. The LC50-96 h of Roundup® to C. carpio was found to be 22.19 ppm. Common carp was subjected to Roundup® at 0 (control), 3.5, 7 and 14 ppm for 16 days, and the AChE activity is verified in tissues of gill, muscle, brain and liver. After 5 days, a significant decrease was observed in the AChE activity of muscle, brain and liver tissues. Besides, a time- and dose-dependent increase in mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell volume (MCV) was observed. In contrast, a significant decrease was found in the quantities of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT) and, red (RBC) and white (WBC) blood cell count. Also, the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in Roundup® treated groups were significantly higher than the controlled group at experimental periods. However, the level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) had a significant reduction behavior during the sampling days. It seems that the changes in hematological and biochemical parameters as well as AChE activity could be used as efficient biomarkers in order to determine Roundup® toxicity in aquatic environment.