Mercuric chloride-induced physiological dysfunction in Notopterus notopterus

The freshwater fish Notopterus notopterus were exposed to various sublethal concentrations (0.088, 0.044, 0.029, 0.022, and 0.017) of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) mg/liter for 15, 30, 45, and 60 days, and their effects on glucose, lactate, cholesterol, plasma glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (PGOT) and plasma glutamic pyruvic transaminase (PGPT) of the blood were observed. Lactate increased significantly (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01; P less than 0.001) and glucose. PGOT, and PGPT increased significantly (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01). However, cholesterol decreased significantly (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01; P less than 0.001) in the blood of N. notopterus.