The functioning of a group of muscle fibres as a tissue that performs a well characterized type of contraction (slow or fast) depends on their biochemical and structural organization that is already well established. The biochemical and structural diversities between three types of fish muscle fibres found also a reflection in the content of light elements. The present work demonstrates significant differences in the content of diffusible elements (Cl, K, Na, and Mg) and bound elements (P and S) between the muscle fibres types. In general all muscle fibre types of goldfish (Carassius auratus gibelio) that belongs to stationary slow-swimming fish has lower K/Na ratios than those in all three fibre types of fast swimming sunbleak (Leucaspius delineatus).
Intraperitoneal injection of goldfish with Thioglycollate induced an acute peritoneal inflammation connected with an influx of leucocytes. The number and some properties (migratory activity, PMA-induced chemiluminescence) of leucocytes were analysed in parallel in suspensions of peritoneal and head kidney (HK) leucocytes. It was found that the increased number of peritoneal large granular cells corresponds with the decreased number of such leucocytes in HK. Moreover, the enhancement of migratory and chemiluminescent activity of peritoneal leucocytes corresponds with the inhibition of these activities in head kidney cells. The results strongly indicate that the head kidney, the major lymphomyeloid organ of teleosts, is the main source of leucocytes inhabiting the peritoneal cavity following induction of an acute inflammation.
Carassius auratus gibelio was chosen as an organism with a high level of tolerance against heavy metal to investigate changes in monovalent ions content in its tissues. Fish were kept in 10 ppm Cu2+ (3h), CrO4 2- (96h), Co2+(96h), Pb2+ (8h) and control (96h) solutions, then tissues were dissected and prepared for X-ray microanalysis. K+, Na+ and Cl- concentration was measured and calculated. Short periods of time of fish acclimation to Cu2+ (3h) and Pb2+ (8h) caused fish to suffocate as a consequence of heavy metal ions binding to gill mucopolisaccharides. Cl- and Na+ content decreased after Cu2+ treatment in kidney cells and muscle fibers, and so did K+ concentration in gill cells in comparison to control. After that CrO4 2- ions acclimation changes in all tissues and in all measured ions were observed. Similar effects were observed in Co2+ ions treatment but not for muscle fibers. Pb2+ ions caused an elevation of Cl- and Na+ ions content in gill cells and muscle fibers but decreasing in liver and kidney cells in comparison to control. Changes in monovalent ions concentration are probably related to heavy metal ions influence on ionic pump activity, their interaction with metabolic enzymes, ATP production or membrane phospholipids.
The head kidney morphology of the goldfish with the experimental peritoneal inflammation (on day 2 after i.p. injection with sterile 3% Thioglycollate) is compared with that in the control fish (i.e. on day 2 after i.p. injection with a strile physiological saline PBS) with special emphasis on identification of granulocytes on semithin and consecutive ultrathin sections. The most striking feature of head kidneys of goldfish in the course of peritoneal inflammation is a severe depletion of mature neutrophils and cells with basophilic granules (basophils/mast cells). These observations suggest the involvement of the head kidney, the main hematopoietic organ of teleosts, in the inflammatory process.
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