Abstract

Low temperature represents a critical environmental stressor for teleost fish, disrupting metabolic homeostasis, enhancing oxidative damage, and ultimately compromising physiological performance. As a warm-water–adapted marine species, silver pomfret ( Pampus argenteus ) exhibits pronounced sensitivity to cold stress, which constrains its survival and aquaculture potential. In the present study, silver pomfret were subjected to a control temperature (25 °C) and two cold stress temperatures (18 °C and 13 °C) for 96 h. Muscle responses were assessed through histological examination, antioxidant enzyme activity assays, transcriptomic sequencing, and metabolomic profiling. Cold stress induced marked pathological alterations in muscle tissue, including myofibrillar disorganization, cytoplasmic degradation, and cellular vacuolization. Antioxidant defenses were rapidly activated during the early phase of cold stress and subsequently reached a relatively stable state with prolonged exposure. The omics data suggested that the enhanced polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis and elongation appeared to support membrane fluidity, accompanied by the upregulation of fatty acid β-oxidation and lipid catabolic pathways to satisfy elevated energy demands at 18 °C. In contrast, exposure to 13 °C resulted in pronounced disruption of cytoskeletal integrity and functional impairment, together with the activation of apoptosis-related pathways in muscle cells. Collectively, these results elucidate temperature-dependent regulatory strategies underlying cold stress responses in silver pomfret muscle and provide a mechanistic basis for improving cold tolerance in aquaculture practices.