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<p>Deterioration of marine ecosystems is evident across different areas of the Caribbean, partly due to water pollution and exposure to chemical compounds that are toxic to organisms, mainly from anthropogenic waste. Fish are proposed as bioindicators for the assessment and health monitoring of marine life and ecosystems; the primary tool used for that purpose is histopathological analysis. In this study, the liver and gonads of 16 females and 22 males of lionfish (<i>Pterois volitans</i>) (Linnaeus, 1758) were analyzed. Liver alterations were assessed based on the extension and the severity of the damage; criteria used to determine the histological alteration index (HAI). Instead, for the gonads, the tissue changes were identified qualitatively, and the prevalence of each one was determined. Fish were collected from San Andres Island, and East-south-East, and Albuquerque cays between November 2023 and October 2024. All the fish were mature and, in the spawning-capable phase. Both females and males presented with gonadal alterations, with nine cases of intersex among males (45%), suggesting endocrine disruption. Liver tissue changes were numerous; the most prevalent and extensive change was “vacuolization/cytoplasmic degeneration”, whereas necrosis was mostly focal. The predominant histological alteration index (HAI) indicated a moderately to heavily damaged organ. Histopathological changes observed in lionfish liver and gonads suggest chronic exposure to environmental stress. Secondary water quality data indicated some degree of contamination in the study area; however, further studies incorporating direct environmental measurements and chemical compound analyses are required to establish causal-effect relationships. The results of this study provide reference data for setting up monitoring programs for fish health.</p>

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Histopathological Assessment of the Liver and Gonads in Lionfish (Pterois volitans) as a Reference Data for Reproductive Health Monitoring in the Insular Colombian Caribbean

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月17日

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  • Laura Valderrama Ballesteros,
  • Néstor Hernando Campos Campos,
  • Eunice Danilú Couoh-Puga

摘要

Deterioration of marine ecosystems is evident across different areas of the Caribbean, partly due to water pollution and exposure to chemical compounds that are toxic to organisms, mainly from anthropogenic waste. Fish are proposed as bioindicators for the assessment and health monitoring of marine life and ecosystems; the primary tool used for that purpose is histopathological analysis. In this study, the liver and gonads of 16 females and 22 males of lionfish (Pterois volitans) (Linnaeus, 1758) were analyzed. Liver alterations were assessed based on the extension and the severity of the damage; criteria used to determine the histological alteration index (HAI). Instead, for the gonads, the tissue changes were identified qualitatively, and the prevalence of each one was determined. Fish were collected from San Andres Island, and East-south-East, and Albuquerque cays between November 2023 and October 2024. All the fish were mature and, in the spawning-capable phase. Both females and males presented with gonadal alterations, with nine cases of intersex among males (45%), suggesting endocrine disruption. Liver tissue changes were numerous; the most prevalent and extensive change was “vacuolization/cytoplasmic degeneration”, whereas necrosis was mostly focal. The predominant histological alteration index (HAI) indicated a moderately to heavily damaged organ. Histopathological changes observed in lionfish liver and gonads suggest chronic exposure to environmental stress. Secondary water quality data indicated some degree of contamination in the study area; however, further studies incorporating direct environmental measurements and chemical compound analyses are required to establish causal-effect relationships. The results of this study provide reference data for setting up monitoring programs for fish health.