Effect of mercuric chloride on some biochemical and physiological parameters of the freshwater murrel, Channa punctatus.

The freshwater murrel, Channa punctatus, was exposed to a sublethal concentration of mercuric chloride (3 micrograms/liter) for 120 days and the following effects were examined: changes in the levels of glucose and lactic acid in blood and of glycogen and lactic acid in liver and muscles; rate of absorption of glucose from the intestine; and changes in the activities of glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase), hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), L-amino acid oxidase (AO), and xanthine oxidase (XO) in brain, gills, intestine, kidney, liver, and muscles. Mercury-treated fish were hypoglycemic and hypolactemic. The glycogen content of liver and muscles remained unaltered but the muscle lactic acid level decreased significantly. The rate of intestinal absorption of glucose was reduced significantly by exposure to mercury. G-6-Pase activity was decreased in all the tissues. Hexokinase activity also decreased in mercury-exposed fish but it was significant only in intestine, kidney, and liver. The activities of LDH, PDH, SDH, and MDH also were decreased significantly except LDH in brain and MDH in kidney where an insignificant decrease and an insignificant increase, respectively, were recorded. GDH and AO activities were elevated in most of the tissues except GDH in gills, and AO in gills and muscles where a decrease was observed. XO activity in brain, gills, and kidneys was significantly elevated, but no marked alteration was noted in other tissues.