Deposition of aluminum in the gill epithelium of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) subjected to sublethal concentrations of the metal

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Abstract
Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) were exposed to acid and sublethal concentrations of inorganic aluminum (1.6 μM at pH 6.1; 2.8 μM at pH 5.5, 5.0, and 4.5); aluminum was also administered in combination with organic acid at pH 4.5 and 5.0. The gill epithelium was examined by transmission electron microscopy and by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Control fish at pH 7.3 without aluminum showed normal morphology but increased acidity and (or) decreased hardness resulted in a greater exposure of chloride cells at the epithelial surface. All fish exposed to aluminum had electron-dense particles on the surface of the respiratory (pavement) epithelial cells and chloride cells of the gills and most cells had these deposits in varying concentrations within cytoplasmic vacuoles and dense bodies. It was shown by X-ray microanalysis that the deposits contained aluminum. Increased acidity did not alter the pattern of distribution of aluminum particles but a heavy concentration of this metal followed the addition of organic acid. The accumulation of aluminum on and within epithelial cells and increased exposure of chloride cells in the gills could reflect decreased oxygen uptake and increased ion loss in trout, and probably are responsible for the toxicity of aluminum to fish in an acid environment.

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