ULTRASTRUCTURAL-STUDY OF THE SHORT-TERM TOXIC EFFECTS OF NAPHTHALENE ON THE KIDNEY OF THE MARINE PROSOBRANCH LITTORINA-LITTOREA

The renal epithelium of the marine prosobranch gastropod Littorina littorea consists of two cell types, namely, vacuolated excretory cells and ciliated cells. The present work investigates the fine structure of the kidney of winkles after experimental exposure to low levels (30 μg/liter) of naphthalene in sea water. Ultrastructural changes within excretory cells consisted of increased formation or accumulation of lipid droplets, increased occurrence of membrane bound dark bodies which became enlarged after 96 hr of exposure to naphthalene, distortion of the Golgi complex, and altered mitochondrial structure. An increase in the numbers of residual bodies was observed in naphthalene-exposed ciliated cells, together with numerous lipid droplets. In addition, hemocytes were seen to infiltrate the renal tissue of treated female winkles. © 1990.