摘要：The present study is aimed to evaluate possible reasons by which cadmium toxicitycauses damage to the liver of a freshwater catfish Mystus tengara (Ham.). After 30days of exposure fish were processed for biochemical studies. Experiments wereperformed on estimation of total protein, DNA, RNA and enzymes like alkalinephosphatase (ALP) and acid phosphatase (ACP). Results clearly indicate that totalprotein, DNA and RNA contents were higher in control group than experimental groups(P>0.001 control vs. group III) and declined minimum in the fish treated with cadmium.However, both ALP and ACP activity were maximum in treated groups. The decreasein the total protein content in experimental fish is due to decrease in DNA and RNAcontents. However, it is interesting to see that in both experimental groups, both ALPand ACP activity was elevated. It may be due to as both are phosphatases and knownto remove the phosphate group (dephosphorylation) at 5’ end of DNA and thus preventingDNA from ligating. That is why that DNA content was found to be minimum in Cdgroups where both enzymes were elevated. Therefore, low RNA and protein contentwere observed in experimental fish.
