Lead toxicity: Biochemical and physiological imbalance in nine freshwater teleosts

Abstract

The effect of various concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20 ppm) of lead nitrate on liver, muscle, brain and kidney glycogen and on serum glucose and lactate was studied in 9 species of fish. Glycogenolysis was higher in major carp species than in catfish or murrels. The lowest level of glycogen was in muscle, followed by liver, kidney and brain. There was an inverse relationship between the concentration of lead nitrate and the fall in liver, muscle and brain glycogen. There was a direct relationship between the concentration of lead nitrate and the levels of serum glucose and lactate, which were again higher in the major carps.