X-ray micro-analysis of aluminium in pumpkinseed gills.
Energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis was applied to study the (sub-) cellular distribution of aluminium at the gill level of "acid-resistant pumpkinseeds (Lepomis gibbosus) exposed to acidified water (pH = 4.2) and an elevated level of aluminium (1.4 mg Al/l, exposure period = 21 days). Electron dense deposits, located in invaginations as well as inside the gill tissue, were shown to contain elevated levels of aluminium and phosphorus. The micro-analytical findings suggest that the pumpkinseed possesses a defence mechanism, in which the intracellular accumulation of aluminium is limited to restricted sites and to storage in macrophages.
University of Antwerp (UIA), Dept. of Chemistry and Medicine, Belgium.
S
S
Eeckhaoudt
W
W
Jacob
H
H
Witters
R
R
Van Grieken
D000143:Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000535:Aluminum / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000818:Animals; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D005880:Gills / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010473:Perciformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*
D000143:Acids; D000535:Aluminum