Histopathology and enlargement of the pituitary of a teleost exposed to the herbicide trifluralin |
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| Authors: | J A COUCH |
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| Institution: | United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Gulf Breeze, Florida, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. Pituitaries of sheepshead minnows, Cyprinodon uariegatus , exposed for 19 months to 1-5 μg/l trifluralin in the laboratory exhibited enlargement, pseudocysts, congestion of blood vessels and oedema. Most of the fish with an enlarged pituitary also had induced diffuse and/or focal vertebral hyperostosis and other dysplastic vertebral changes. Several speculative mechanistic paths are suggested for the mode of effect of trifluralin on the vertebral and pituitary tissues. Abnormal enlargement or variation in sizes of pituitaries from fish of the same age, along with histopathological findings may be related to the environmental quality of the fish's habitat, and provide indications of stress within individuals resulting from toxicant exposure. |
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