Erythrocytes of circulating blood of scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus L. 1758 under acute experimental hypoxia

Abstract

The effect of short-term hypoxia on the black scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus L.) red blood cells has been investigated. Fish were exposed to 8.5–8.7 mg O2·l-1 (100 % saturation, control), 2.6 mg O2·l-1 (30 % saturation) and 1.3 mg O2·l-1 (15 % saturation) for 90 minutes. At 30 % saturation all parameters were kept at the control values. At oxygen-saturation level of 15 % we observed inhibition of erythropoietic processes in hematopoietic tissue, as number of immature erythroid forms (basophilic normoblasts) in the blood has reduced. This process was accompanied with circulating red blood cells swelling and lysis of osmotically fragile erythocytes and abnormal cells. Thus, blood oxygen capacity declined, and osmotic resistance of red blood cells increased. It is supposed, that such changes of blood characteristics should induce the production of erythropoietin in fish kidneys and also enhance proliferation of erythroid cells in hematopoietic tissue.

Keywords

• hypoxia
• red blood cells
• hemoglobin
• blood erythrograms
• cell morphometry
• Scorpaena porcus L.