Washing soda induced alteration of the differential cell count, nonself surface adhesion efficacy and nuclear morphology of the polyphenotypic cells of a freshwater sponge of India.

Washing soda has been identified as a precarious contaminant of the freshwater ponds and lakes, the natural habitat of . Treatment of sublethal concentrations of washing soda for 384 hours exhibited a significant decrease in the densities of blast like cells, small and large amoebocytes. The percentage occurrence of granular cells and archaeocytes yielded a marked increase against the experimental concentrations of washing soda. Washing soda mediated alterations in the differential cell densities of indicative of a state of physiological stress and an undesirable shift in the cellular homeostasis of the organism distributed in polluted environment. Experimental exposure of washing soda yielded a significant increase in the cellular dimensions of large amoebocytes and archaeocytes. Prolonged treatment with washing soda presented a gross reduction in nonself surface adhesion efficacy of cells. Experimental concentrations of washing soda resulted in a dose dependent increment in the frequencies of binucleation and micronucleation in the cells of . The data were indicative of a high level of genotoxicity of washing soda in . The present investigation provides an important information base in understanding the toxin induced chemical stress on the archaic immune defense of a primitive urmetazoa.