Effect of lindane on the ultrastructure of the liver of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, sac-fry

The effects of the persistent environmental contaminant lindane, on the livers of two developmental stages of strictly endotrophic trout sac-fry (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were investigated by electron microscopy. The liver responses were rapid, as perturbations (glycogenic depletion, RER and dictyosome changes, secondary lysosome accumulation) occurred after exposure to 1mg.l−1 lindane for 3 days. The severity of the hepatocytic alterations was time-dependent, and differed with the developmental stage; the tolerance to lindane decreased with age of the fry. These changes in hepatocyte ultrastructure could have a wider relevance for ecotoxicology, as they are correlated with the survival capacity of the fish.