Egg perivitelline fluid of the invasive snail Pomacea canaliculata affects mice gastrointestinal function and morphology

PeerJ

article

Matías Giglio¹  Cintia Garro³  Enrique Caviedes-Vidal³  Horacio Heras¹ 

[1] Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata;Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ,(INIBIOLP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de La Plata;Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis ,(IMIBIO-SL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y Universidad Nacional de San Luis;Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis

关键词: Apple snails;    Intestinal enzymes;    Intestinal absorption;    Effect of perivitellin fluid;    Intestinal morphology;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5314

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSpecies beloging to the genus Pomacea (Ampullariidae), often referred as apple snails, are freshwater, amphibious snails native to South, Central and North America. Some species such as P. canaliculata have become a driver of ecosystem changes in wetlands and an important rice and taro pest after its introduction to Asia and other parts of the world. Females deposit colored egg clutches above the waterline, a reproductive strategy that exposes the eggs to harsh conditions and terrestrial predation. However, eggs have no reported predators in their native range, probably because of the acquisition of unparalleled biochemical defenses provided by a set of proteins (perivitellins) that nourish embryos and protect them from predators and abiotic factors. Notably, ingestion of egg perivitelline fluid (PVF) decreases rat growth rate and alters their gastrointestinal morphology. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of apple snail egg PVF on mice gut digestive activity, morphology and nutrient absorption.MethodsCarbohydrate digestion by intestinal disaccharidases (sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase) was evaluated ex vivo in mice gavaged with 1 or 4 doses of PVF. Changes in gut morphological and absorptive surface were measured. In addition, alteration on nutrient absorption rates, transport pathways and intestinal permeability was evaluated by luminal perfusions of small intestine with radiolabeled L-proline (absorbed by paracellular and transcellular pathways) and L-arabinose (absorbed exclusively by paracellular pathway).ResultsPerivitelline fluid affected mice displayed significant morphological changes in the small intestine epithelium inducing the appearance of shorter and wider villi as well as fused villi. This resulted in a diminished absorptive surface, notably in the proximal portion. Likewise, the activity of disaccharidases diminished in the proximal portion of the intestine. Total absorption of L-proline increased in treated mice in a dose-dependent manner. There were no differences neither in the ratio of paracellular-to-transcellular absorption of L-proline nor in gut permeability as revealed by the clearance of L-arabinose.DiscussionOral administration of apple snail PVF to mice adversely alters gut morphophysiology by reducing the intestinal absorptive surface, affecting enzymes of sugar metabolism and increasing the absorption rate of nutrients without affecting the relative contribution of the absorption pathways or gut permeability. These results further support the role of PVF in passive anti-predator defenses in Pomacea snail eggs that target the digestive system.

【 授权许可】

CC BY