Perturbations in nitrogen metabolic profiles in the tissues of fish, Labeo rohita exposed to fenvalerate

Abstract

Changes in the levels of nitrogen metabolic profiles in gill, brain, liver and muscle tissues of fish, Labeo rohita exposed to sublethal concentration (10 micrograms/L) of fenvalerate for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours were studied. Ammonia content was decreased, whereas urea and glutamine levels were increased in the tissues of fenvalerate exposed fish. Changes were more pronounced with an increase in the period of exposure. Within the tissues, the alterations in excretory products were in the following order: liver greater than muscle greater than brain greater than gill. The survivability of fish in the polluted habitats might be due to the operation of compensatory mechanism in the metabolic profiles such as detoxification and transamination of more toxic ammonia by conversion to less toxic compounds like urea and glutamine.