AIM To observe the cytotoxic effect of the organophosphate insecticide malathion in the reproductive tissues of the earthworms, Eisenia foetida. METHODS Worms were nourished in soil treated with malathion at single sub-lethal doses of 0, 80, 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg soil. (LD50=880 mg/kg soil) and evaluated on days 1, 5, 15 and 30 after exposure. The body weights were recorded and male reproduc...

Biological sensitivity to contaminant concentrations may vary substantially from species to species and the mode of toxic action may be highly selective and impair specific biological functions of the organisms. Physiological activities i.e. respiration, metabolism, feeding, breeding etc, of aquatic invertebrates are inhibited by the effects of pesticides [1]. Various workers have shown that ea...

Sectioned dorsal giant fibers of the earthworm Eisenia foetida have been studied with the electron microscope. The giant axon is surrounded by a Schwannian sheath in which the lamellae are arranged spirally. They can be traced from the outer surface of the Schwann cell to the axon-Schwann membranes. Irregularities in the spiral arrangement are frequently observed. Desmosome-like attachment area...

1. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. 2. Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center (CMBRC), Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. 3. Department of Laboratory Sciences, Paramedical faculty, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. 4. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Babol University of M...

The fine structure of the main dorsal and ventral circulatory trunks and of the subneural vessels and capillaries of the ventral nerve cord of the earthworm, Eisenia foetida, has been studied with the electron microscope. All of these vessels are lined internally by a continuous extracellular basement membrane varying in thickness (0.03 to 1 micro) with the vessel involved. The dorsal, ventral,...

Lysenin is a sphingomyelin (SM)-specific toxin isolated from the coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia foetida. Lysenin comprises a family of proteins together with lysenin-related protein 1 (LRP-1, lysenin 2) and LRP-2 (lysenin 3). In the present study, we characterized LRP-1 and LRP-2 together with lysenin using maltose-binding-protein-tagged recombinant proteins. LRP-2 specifically bound S...

The positive roles of earthworms on soil functionality has been extensively documented. capacity the earthworm gut microbiota decomposition and nutrient cycling under long-term fertilization in field conditions rarely studied. Here, we report structural, taxonomic, functional responses Eisenia foetida Pheretima guillelmi to different regimes durations using 16S rRNA gene-based Illumina sequenci...

Effects of tobacco genetically modified to express the protease inhibitor bovine spleen trypsin inhibitor (BSTI) were examined in laboratory assays against three earthworm and one collembolan species. BSTI is a serine protease inhibitor that can bind to the digestive trypsins of insects feeding on modified plants, resulting in reduced growth and survival. Protease inhibitors are active against ...