[Morpho-functional changes in the ovaries of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius after exposure to cadmium].

The ovaries were studied in the sea urchins kept in a sea water added with 1, 50 and 100 micrograms/l cadmium chloride for 5, 15, 40, 72 and 130 days. The gland reaction depended on the drug dose and exposure. A short exposure (5 and 15 days) stimulated the development of a larger, as compared with the control, number of oogonia and raised the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatases. A long exposure decreased the number of germ cells, decelerated their growth, destroyed gametes and accessory cells, inhibited the activity of alkaline phosphatase. The cadmium accumulation in the ovaries was noted only on the 130th day at concentrations of 50 and 100 micrograms/l. The monitoring of morphological and biochemical indices allowed to conclude that cadmium exerted a toxic effect on the sea urchin ovaries.