Impact of Paper Mill Effluent on Reproductive  Physiology of Teleost Fish: a Mini Review

Sangeeta Dey; Manabendra Dutta Choudhury; Suchismita Das

Volume : III, Issue : VIII, August - 2013

Impact of Paper Mill Effluent on Reproductive Physiology of Teleost Fish: a Mini Review

Sangeeta Dey, Manabendra Dutta Choudhury, Suchismita Das

Abstract :

The effluents from pulp and paper mills are highly toxic and are a major source of aquatic pollution. Many chemicals have been identified in effluents which are produced at different stages of papermaking which are known to be endocrine disrupting besides being carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. The major concern for paper mill effluents is its potential for affecting fish reproductive physiology like reductions in sex steroid hormone levels, gonad size, fecundity and delayed sexual maturity and even male–biased sex ratios among fish emyos. It is predicted that the endocrine modulating compounds may interact with steroid hormones and their receptors, or other hormones and transcription factors in the biochemical pathway of hormonal activity. Pulp mill effluents contain ligands for nuclear sex steroid receptors and the plasma sex steroid–binding protein, thereby having the potential to affect steroid hormone signaling and transport in fish.