Action of cypermethrin on tissue transamination during nitrogen metabolism in Cyprinus carpio.

Freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio, was exposed to sublethal concentration (3 microg liter-1) of cypermethrin for 5 and 10 days to examine the changes in the transamination process during the formation of nitrogenous end products in four functionally different tissues, namely, gill, liver, brain, and muscle. Increases in total and soluble protein contents were noticed in all the tissues of exposed fish with a decrease in free amino acids and protease activity. Activity levels of both the transaminases, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were elevated, indicating active transamination and oxidative deamination. Attenuation of ammonia was consistent in both treatment groups. However, urea level decreased at the 5-day exposure period but increased by Day 10, manifesting the conversion of toxic ammonia to urea. Glutamine content was consistently raised upon exposure to the toxicant. In support of this, increases in glutamine synthetase and suppression of glutaminase were noticed. It clearly indicates that ammonia is not stored in the tissues in spite of active oxidative deamination when the fish is in a polluted environment. All the observations made demonstrate that the fish has adopted more than one compensatory mechanism during the process of transamination of nitrogenous products.