Abstract

Response to environmental stress is an important aspect in metabolism of organisms. For this purpose, C. punctata, a variety of fish was used and examined the effect of cold acclimation on the regulation of protein, cholesterol and triglyceride in liver induced by HgCl2 for 1h. The stimulatory effects on protein content were demonstrated whenever exposed to HgCl2 (1 and 10 µM) (10.63 vs 31.25, 38.62). Cholesterol and triglyceride levels in excised liver were enhanced in response to HgCl2 when compared to respective controls (145.73 vs 1678.42; 16.46 vs 102.24). To find interaction with cold acclimation, fish were treated with HgCl2 (1 and 10 µM) and exposed to 4 oC. The stimulatory effects on protein synthesis in cold stress were observed (10.63 vs 36.49, HgCl2 1 µM; 10.63 vs 67.0, HgCl2 10 µM) compared to control and the effects were potential whenever exposed to mercury (10 µM) in cold. The cholesterol level in response to cold along with HgCl2 (1 and 10 µM) was found similarly to increase (145.73 vs 1086.13, 1838.48) respectively and the results were assumed to be higher than that of HgCl2 alone. Cold acclimation also affects triglyceride in presence of different concentrations of HgCl2 and increased level of triglyceride in liver exposed to HgCl2 (1 and 10 µM) and cold (16.46 vs 34.22, 42.47) was demonstrated. Collectively, both these stimuli cause severe stress to the organism, involved in diverse metabolic regulation which may contribute for survival of species in the environment.

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