A stereological study of copper toxicity in gills of Oreochromis niloticus

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

monteiro, sm (Author) Other; rocha, e (Author) ICBAS; mancera, jm (Author) Other; fontainhas-fernandes, a (Author) Other; sousa, m (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

Vol. 72

Pages: 213-223

ISSN: 0147-6513

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 20 Citations

Scopus - 30 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Earth and related Environmental sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-PR3

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2008.02.008

Abstract (EN): Stereological methods were used to estimate the volumetric density (V-v) of the filamentar epithelium (FE, 39%), lamellae (L, 28%), central venous sinus (CVS, 14%), central axis (16%), mucous cells (MC, 2%) and chloride cells (CC, 1%) in the gill filament of control Nile Tilapia. The relative volumes of FE and L, and the relative volumes of CVS and central axis, varied inversely under exposure to copper, with high copper toxic levels declanching a chronic defence mechanism that was, nevertheless, overcome, and low copper toxic levels causing adaptation within a moderate acute phase type of response. Copper also induced a decrease of the V-v (MC, gill filament) due to reduction of surface MC, despite the marked increase of stem MC at chronic exposure to high copper toxic levels. Diminution of the numerical density of filamentar CC was responsible for the decreased V-v (CC, gill filament), although lamellar CC significantly increased at chronic exposure to low copper toxic levels. The present results demonstrate that cell relative volumes, mean volumes and numerical densities are dependent on the variations of the FE and L, which without a quantitative approach may be misinterpreted, thus stressing the importance of using stereological tools for analyzing histopathological patterns.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11