Effects of Cadmium Exposure on Gut Villi in Danio rerio |
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Authors: | Chiara Maria Motta Emanuela Califano Rosaria Scudiero Bice Avallone Chiara Fogliano Salvatore De Bonis Anja Raggio Palma Simoniello |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Biology, University Federico II, Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (C.M.M.); (E.C.); (B.A.); (C.F.); (A.R.);2.Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Latium (Arpa Lazio), Via Boncompagni, 00187 Roma, Italy;3.Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143 Napoli, Italy; |
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Abstract: | In aquatic organisms, cadmium exposure occurs from ovum to death and the route of absorption is particularly wide, being represented by skin, gills and gastrointestinal tract, through which contaminated water and/or preys are ingested. It is known that cadmium interferes with the gut; however, less information is available on cadmium effects on an important component of the gut, namely goblet cells, specialized in mucus synthesis. In the present work, we studied the effects of two sublethal cadmium concentrations on the gut mucosa of Danio rerio. Particular attention was paid to changes in the distribution of glycan residues, and in metallothionein expression in intestinal cells. The results show that cadmium interferes with gut mucosa and goblet cells features. The effects are dose- and site-dependent, the anterior gut being more markedly affected than the midgut. Cadmium modifies the presence and/or distribution of glycans in the brush border and cytoplasm of enterocytes and in the goblet cells’ cytoplasm and alters the metallothionein expression and localization. The results suggest a significant interference of cadmium with mucosal efficiency, representing a health risk for the organism in direct contact with contamination and indirectly for the trophic chain. |
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Keywords: | cadmium toxicity goblet cells lectin staining metallothionein expression metallothionein localization seric infiltration villar degeneration zebrafish |
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