Influence of Deltamethrin and Achook® on Activities of Phosphatases in the Nervous Tissue of Zebrafish, Danio rerio

Acomparative study of synthetic pyrethroid, Deltamethrin and a neem based pesticide, Achook® was performed to evaluate the effect on the activity of phosphatases in the nervous tissue (brain) of Danio rerio at different concentrations (96 h LC₅, LC₁₀ and LC₂₀ and exposure periods (4, 8, 12 and 16 days). Exposure of fish to each concentration of each pesticide resuhed in concentration-dependent inhibition in phosphatases activities in comparison with control group. The activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) was reduced to 44% for Deltamethrin whereas 48% of controls (100%) for Achook® treated fishes after 16 days exposure to LC₂₀ After 12 days the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities of the LC₂₀ of Deltamethrin exposed fish were more strongly inhibited (31%) than that of the fish exposed to Achook® (37%). With the present study it is attributed that the natural pesticides are also deadly toxic to fishes and hence these pesticides should be used with great caution and in sustainable way to minimize the hazards in aquatic environment and to human beings.