Abstract

Cadmium is a heavy metal that is treated as an environmental pollutant (air, water, soil). In order to understand the potential effects of cadmium in soil and soil invertebrates, it is important to describe all alterations which appear at different levels in organisms. The main aim of this study was to investigate, analyze and describe the alterations caused by cadmium short- and long-term intoxication at different levels in the organisms: from tissues to cells and organelles. In addition, the activation of cell death mechanisms that take part in homeostasis maintenance according to cadmium has been studied. Therefore, as the species for this project, a terrestrial and well-known widespread European species – the centipede Lithobius forficatus (Myriapoda, Chilopoda, Lithobiomorpha) – was chosen. This omnivorous species lives under upper layers of soil, under stones, litter, rocks, and leaves, and it is also commonly found in human habitats. The animals were divided into three groups: C – the control group, animals cultured in a horticultural soil; Cd1 – animals cultured in a horticultural soil supplemented with 80 mg/kg (dry weight) of CdCl2, 12 days – short-term exposure; Cd2 – animals cultured in a horticultural soil supplemented with 80 mg/kg (dry weight) of CdCl2, 45 days – long-term exposure. The midgut was isolated from each specimen and it was prepared for analysis using some histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Our studies showed that short-term intoxication causes intensification of autophagy and digestion of reserve material, while long-term exposure to this heavy metal causes activation of cell death processes together with inhibition of autophagy connected with the lack of reserve material. Additionally, we can infer that autophagy and cell death are nutrient deprivation-induced processes. Finally, we can conclude that short- and long-term exposure of soil centipede to cadmium affects different mechanisms and processes of cell death.

Details

Title
Influence of soil contaminated with cadmium on cell death in the digestive epithelium of soil centipede Lithobius forficatus (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)
Author
Rost-Roszkowska, M 1 ; Poprawa, I 1 ; Chajec, Ł 1 ; Chachulska-Żymełka, A 1 ; Wilczek, G 1 ; Wilczek, P 2 ; Student, S 3 ; Skowronek, M 1 ; Nadgórska-Socha, A 1 ; Leśniewska, M 4 

 Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland 
 Bioengineering Laboratory, Heart Prosthesis Institute, Zabrze, Poland 
 Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland 
 Department of General Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland 
Pages
242-262
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Dec 2020
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd.
ISSN
24750255
e-ISSN
24750263
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2469501779
Copyright
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.