Hyperglycemic responses to cold shock in the freshwater giant prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH), a neurohormone synthesized and released from the x-organ sinus gland complex, is primarily involved in carbohydrate metabolism; biogenic amines and peptidergic neuroregulators are known to modulate the release of CHH. Marked elevations of hemolymph glucose titers, which peaked within 2 h, were observed in both intact and bilaterally eyestalk-ablated prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, when they were transferred directly from their optimal temperature of 28 °C to lower temperatures close to their lethal limit. Hyperglycemia can therefore be considered a characteristic response in this species under cold shock. Involvement of biogenic amines in the hyperglycemic response was also demonstrated. Hyperglycemic effects of epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin were mediated through CHH at the eyestalk level, but the response under cold shock was not exclusively mediated through CHH. It is suggested that factor(s) other than CHH are involved in the hyperglycemic response, possibly norepinephrine or/and octopamine. Accepted: 24 October 1998