Ultrastructural study of rainbow trout lenses incubated under various conditions.

The pathology of rainbow trout lenses incubated in various media and at various temperatures was examined by electron microscopy. After incubation at 0 degrees C for 5 h, no changes were observed in transparency and cytology. Irreversible warm cataract occurred at 37 degrees C, which corresponds to the body temperature of mammals. The degree of turbidity increased depending on incubation time. The ultrastructure of warm cataract in short-term incubation was characterized by the appearance of dense substances in the epithelium and swelling of the lens fibers. When the incubation time was prolonged up to 3 h, the turbidity increased and cellular disorders became severe. The volume of the dense substances increased also. A slight but detectable haziness of the lens was observed after incubation with calcium-free medium. Pathological findings in this case consisted of disorders of the intracellular membrane system in the epithelium and swelling of the lens fibers. These results suggest that the rainbow trout lens has a lower optimum temperature compared to the mammalian lens but requires the same Ca2+ concentration.