Abstract
AbstractPollution of the marine environment by the antifouling organotin compounds such as tributyltin chloride (TBTCl) and tributyltin oxide (TBTO) is of concern to the public health and ecosystem stability. Consequently, there is a need to develop means for the decontamination of tin‐intoxicated biota.In the present study, we used Euglena gracilis Z as a model organism to investigate the effect of various pretreatments on the restoration of TBTCl intoxicated cells. A brief exposure of Euglena cells to TBTCl (5 × 10–4−10−6 M), cells were found to change their shape into cyst form, and became almost inactive within a few minutes. TBTCl was rapidly incorporated into the Euglena cell, and was largely located in the cytosol + microsomes fraction. When TBTCl‐intoxicated Euglena cells were transferred into organotin free medium, TBTCl content in the cells decreased. However, cells neither regained motility nor did their shape return to normal. When the intoxicated cells were incubated in water that was prepared by being loaded with high voltage condenser electric potential of 12 kV for 70 h, the cells regained motility, and their shape returned to almost normal by excluding tin prior to regaining motility. The study results may lead to a practical means for the decontamination of polluted biota. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published Version
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