BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON FRESH WATER BIVALVES EXPOSED TO THE MERCURY CHLORIDE

The effect of heavy metal, mercury chloride on the activity of biochemical components of the freshwater bivalve Lamelledis marginalis was experimentally evaluated. A significant reduction in the activities of glycogen, protein and lipid in the gill, mantle, gonads and heptopancrease of mercury chloride treated animals could be observed. The depletion of glycogen and lipid content was greater in the mantle as compared to the gonads, hepatopancres and gills of the treated bivalves. There was maximun depletion of protein content in gills, followed by mantle, gonads and hepatopancreas observed in mercury chloride treated bivalves. As this mercury chloride binds to the cell membrane and also interfere in metabolic pathway and the bivalves is sensitive to changes in the intra and extra cellular environment. The activities of these biochemical components were found to decrease when compared to that in the control animals up to 96 hours of treatment in all the organs under study.