Effect of Curcumin Supplementation on Hepatic, Renal and Intestinal Organization of Anabas testudineus (Bloch): Light and Electron Microscopic Studies

The ultrastructure of hepatic, renal and intestinal tissues of Anabas testudineus and the influence of dietary curcumin (0.5 and 1% for 6 months) on the organization of these tissues were studied. The results revealed an increased vascularity in curcumin-treated fish liver. The size of hepatopancreas and its nuclei and melanomacrophage centres increased in the treated liver while size of hepatocytes and their nuclei remained unchanged. The hypertrophy and hyper-activity of hepatopancreas might provide for proper digestion and absorption of food. In the intestine, the number of goblet's cells in the villi decreased in the curcumin treated group which might help the retention of food in the intestine. Therefore, based on the above results it can be concluded that curcumin is beneficial to fish and, so, could be of application in aquaculture practices.