An Ultrastructural Approach for Gill Responses After Pollutants Exposure

Author(s)

Pereira, Bruno Fiorelini ^[1] ; Pitol, Dimitrius Leonardo ^[2] ; Caetano, Flavio Henrique ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Fed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Diadema - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, FORP, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP Campus Rio Claro, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY; v. 37, n. 1, p. 159-166, 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

SUMMARY: Morphological and physiological responses of gills exposed to environmental contaminants are widely described in the literature. Among the primary findings are the lamellar fusion, hyperplasia, aneurysms, proliferation of mitochondria-rich cells and mucous cells. This work has as main objectives, to show the main changes caused by a polluted lake in gills, and understand how each gill's cell type responds to pollutants' exposure. To those individuals of the species, Astyanax altiparanae were exposed to water from an urban lake, which receives such contaminants from various sources. The gills were analyzed under a TEM. Our results showed that prior to these changes, commonly found, only the mucous cells did not show structural changes. Among the main results, we observed the emergence of Rodlet cells in the group exposed to contaminants, as well as severe damage to the mitochondria-rich cells. The latter result was extremely relevant for demonstrating that the proliferation of this cell type, widely described as an alternative ionic regulation, may in some cases be completely inefficient because structurally these cells are no longer able to perform their basic metabolic functions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/17118-9 - Analysis of the effects of exposure to polluted environments in morphology and premature aging on liver and gills of fish
• Grantee: Bruno Fiorelini Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)