Histopathological studies on liver of Euryglossa orientalis, in coastal areas of the northern Persian Gulf

The use of liver histopathology in various fish species as a biomarker in marine monitoring programs to assess the biological effect of exposure to contaminants is well established although the Euryglossa orientalis has repeatedly been recommended as an appropriate bioindicator for monitoring purposes in the Persian Gulf, information on histopathological liver alterations of this species is scarce. In order to obtain an overview, a total of 80 flounder, collected in the period between winter 2011 and summer 2012 from 7 sampling sites distributed over north of the Persian gulf, were histologically analyzed. Liver lesions were recorded and classified according to established liver lesion categories. A high prevalence of non-specific and early toxicopathic non-neoplastic hepatic lesions was recorded. In contrast, pre-neoplastic lesions were observed only in some cases and neoplastic changes were absent. Indices of liver tissue damage in Euryglossa orientalis Eskeleh Nafty Majidieh, Bushehr and Bandar Abbas significantly higher than other stations (p<0.05). The results revealed that the observed alterations may indicate effects of environmental stressors including contaminants. The results of the present study, thus, support the application of Euryglossa orientalis liver histopathology in environmental monitoring.