Functional dissimilarity of melanomacrophage centres in the liver and spleen from females of the teleost fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prochilodus argenteus</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | H J Ribeiro M S Procópio J M M Gomes F O Vieira R C Russo K Balzuweit H Chiarini-Garcia Antonio Carlos Santana Castro E Rizzo Jr" target="_blank">José Dias CorrêaJr |
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Institution: | Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. heder@ufmg.br |
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Abstract: | Melanomacrophage centres (MMCs) are formed by macrophage aggregates containing pigments such as hemosiderin, melanin and lipofuscin.
MMCs are found in animals such as reptiles, amphibians and, mainly, fishes, in organs such as the kidney, spleen, thymus and
liver. In teleost fish, several functions have been attributed to MMCs, including the capture and storage of cations, the
phagocytosis of cellular debris and immunological reactions. As the use of MMCs has been suggested as a tool for the assessment
of environmental impacts, our aim has been to describe the various metabolic processes performed by MMCs in diverse organs
(liver and spleen) by using the teleost Prochilodus argenteus as an animal model. MMCs from the liver and spleen were assessed by histochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning
electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis techniques and biochemical assay for N-acetylglucosaminidase activity. The data showed metabolic differences in MMCs between the liver and spleen of P. argenteus in their morphometric characteristics and biochemical and elemental composition. The implications of these findings are discussed,
focusing on their role in organ metabolism. |
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