ASSESSMENT OF BIOACCUMULATION OF CIPROFLOXACIN IN Catla catla AND Labeo rohita EXPOSED IN A LABORATORY-BASED SETUP Authors: Neelam Arshad, Sajid Abdullah, Moazzam Ali, Humaira Arshad Journal: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS) ISSN: 1018-7081 (Print), 2309-8694 (Online) Volume: 36 Issue: 6 Year: 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.6.0133 URL: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.6.0133 Publisher: Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum Abstract:

Antibiotics, used extensively in veterinary medicine and in humans to treat various infectious diseases, have become one of the significant environmental contaminants. These pharmaceutical residues bioaccumulate in the tissues of fish and other aquatic organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the bioaccumulation of ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, in various tissues of Catla catla and Labeo rohita in response to different doses. For 14 days, fish were acclimatized and three groups were made: one control and two experimental groups, each with 10 fish. Acute exposure to experimental concentrations designated as T₁ (7.7 mg/L for L. rohita and 5.7 mg/L for C. catla) and T₂ (18 mg/L for L. rohita and 13 mg/L for C. catla) of ciprofloxacin was given to experimental groups. Physico-chemical parameters were maintained regularly. Sampling was done after 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, respectively. At the end of the trial, fish were dissected for HPLC analysis. Data was analyzed statistically using two-way ANOVA and the Tukey test was applied for mean comparison. Results showed that ciprofloxacin bioaccumulation was significant (p ≤ 0.05) in T₂ (high-dose group) compared to T₁ (low-dose group) and the control (T₀) for both fish. In L. rohita, maximum bioaccumulation measured was 45.95±0.74 µg/g, 41.59±0.99 µg/g and 25.08±0.69 µg/g, while in C. catla, maximum bioaccumulation measured was 50.98±0.72 µg/g, 43.88±0.50 µg/g and 31.21±0.94 µg/g in the liver, gills and muscles, respectively. To conclude, the bioaccumulation pattern of ciprofloxacin in different organs of both fish was similar: liver˃gills˃muscles. However, comparatively higher bioaccumulation trends occurred in C. catla organs than in L. rohita.

Keywords: Aquaculture, Antibiotics, Ciprofloxacin, HPLC, Bioaccumulation