Abstract:
Due to their ability to accumulate pollutants, fish are commonly used as
bioindicators in river ecosystems. Their direct contact with dissolved substances has
given the chance for the livers and kidneys of fish to be affected by chemical changes
in aquatic environments. Thus, concerns have emerged regarding the potential
degradation of water quality in the Satui River due to human activities, where Mystus
nemurus is commonly found. In response, this study aimed to evaluate the
histopathological alterations in the liver and kidney of the river catfish, as well as
assessing the water quality of the Satui River. Histopathological lesions are detected
through paraffin-based microtechniques. While pollution Index methodology is
employed to evaluate river water quality according to the Water Quality Standards as
specified in Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 of the Republic of Indonesia. The
present study utilized a scoring-based qualitative descriptive histopathological analysis
to investigate the histological characteristics of the liver and kidneys. The Satui River's
water quality was classified as "lightly polluted" based on the average pollution index
values of 1.11 and 2.31 for the first and second samplings, respectively. Fat
degeneration, congestion and necrosis were monitored as the characteristic features of
liver histopathological damage in river catfish. Simultaneously, the histopathological
analysis discloses the existence of melanomacrophage center (MMC), congestion and
glomerular swelling as observable manifestations of kidney damage. Based on the
obtained scoring results, a score of 1 was recorded, which indicates the occurrence of
relatively minor damage, encompassing a range of 25-50%. Between stations 1 & 2, no
significant difference (P> 0.05) was observed in the histological damage for the liver
and kidneys of river catfish. To conclude, the utilization of histopathological
assessment for river catfish offers significant benefits since it allows accurate
evaluation of the health of both fish and water at any given time.
