RESPONSES OF PLASMA TRANSAMINASE ACTIVITY IN CYPRINUS CARPIO VAR. COMMUNIS TO MERCURY TOXICITY
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Authors
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Hannah Sampath
Unit of Pollution Biology, Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore - 641 046
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M. Ramesh
Unit of Pollution Biology, Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore - 641 046
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Manavalaramanujam Manavalaramanujam
Unit of Pollution Biology, Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore - 641 046
Abstract
The present study reports the behavioural and enzymological responses
in a freshwater teleost fish, Cyprinus carpio var. communis, exposed to acute
and sublethal toxicities of mercuric chloride. During acute treatement,
significant behavioural changes like erratic swimming, excess mucus secretion,
increased opercular movements, etc. were noticed. During acute ~and sublethal
treatments, both aspartate amino transferase and alanine amino transferase
activity increased throughout the study period. Comparing the treatments,
the changes in enzyme activities were found high in acute treatement and all
the values were significant at 5% level. The above findings can be used as
non-specific biomarkers of environmental pollutants.
Keywords: Mercuric chloride, AST, ALT, Cyprinus carpio
