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Ultraviolet B Irradiation Modulates the Immune System of Fish ( Rutilus rutilus , Cyprinidae) II: Blood
Author(s) -
Salo Harri M.,
Jokinen E. Ilmari,
Markkula S. Eveliina,
Aaltonen Tuula M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1562/0031-8655(2000)0710065ubimti2.0.co2
Subject(s) - rutilus , biology , hematocrit , immune system , cyprinidae , endocrinology , immunology , medicine , andrology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery
ABSTRACT The effects of a single dose of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (0.4 J/cm 2 ) on immunological functions by blood leukocytes and on hematological parameters was studied in roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), a teleostean fish. The respiratory burst of phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate stimulated whole blood phagocytes increased significantly after UVB irradiation but spontaneous cytotoxicity of blood leukocytes toward 51 chromium‐labeled K562 target cells was not markedly altered. Differential cell counting revealed that UVB exposure significantly increased the proportion of granulocytes and significantly decreased the proportion of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, whereas hematocrit and the total number of white and red blood cells were unchanged. Plasma cortisol concentration increased in UVB‐exposed fish. Severe handling stress caused similar, although not as potent, effects on the measured parameters of fish blood as UVB irradiation. These observations suggest that in fish UVB brings about a stress response, which may account for the observed alterations in the immune parameters and leukocyte composition of blood. Exposure of fish to strong visible light induced no alterations in immunological or hematological parameters, making it unlikely that ultraviolet radiation mediates its effects through visual perception.