The effect of hypoxia and recuperation on carbohydrate metabolism in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus).

A study of the hematological parameters, glycogen, glucose, and lactate, and the activity of malate and lactate dehydrogenases was carried out in blood and tissues of fishes submitted to two, four, and six hours of hypoxia and recuperation. Only after 4 h of hypoxia was there a drop in liver glucose. Alter 16 h, a drop in lactate and a rise in glucose in practically all tissues signaled a recuperation of the metabolism, probably due to ASR (aerial surface respiration). Lactate formed during hypoxia was canalized to heart and brain for oxidation and used for neoglucogenesis. There were no changes in hematological parameters nore in the activity of malate and lactate dehydrogenases during normoxia and hypoxia, which suggest that these adaptive mechanisms may not be involved during hypoxia. Glycogen concentrations did not show variation during hypoxia either.