Liver microstructure and biochemical biomarkers in Mormyrus kannume from the River Nile

Abstract

Mormyrus kannume were collected from the Nile River in Assiut Governorate. Then, the fish were kept at approximately 26-28 °C with a 12 h/12 h light-dark cycle in a tank (100 L) for two weeks to acclimatize to laboratory conditions. Despite the economic importance of Mormyrus kannume in African freshwater fisheries, especially in the Nile River, no prior studies have documented its baseline morphohistology of key organs, such as the liver, or biochemical parameters or health biomarkers. This study fills this gap by characterizing normal hepatic architecture, liver enzyme activities, and histochemical components in wild Nile River specimens, providing a broad view of the fish's health status and helping researchers in their future studies. Hepatocytes exhibited cord-like arrangements with vesicular nuclei, intermingled with sinusoids of different shapes. Melanomacrophage centers varied in shape, location, and pigmentation. These findings establish reference physiological biomarkers for health assessment and future research on this species.