Structural and functional alterations in Malpighian tubules as biomarkers of environmental pollution: synopsis and prospective

Although a number of biomarkers of pollutant exposure have been identified in invertebrate species, little is known about the effect on Malpighian tubules playing an essential role in excretion and osmoregulation. Analyses of structural and functional alterations on this organ can be useful to predict the effects at the organism and population level in monitoring studies of environmental pollution. The aim of the present review is to provide a synthesis of existing knowledge on cellular damages induced by xenobiotics in Malpighian tubules both under laboratory and field conditions. We compared studies of exposure to pesticides and heavy metals as mainly environmental contaminants from anthropogenic activities. This report provided evidence that the exposure to xenobiotics has an effect on this organ and reinforces the need for further research integrating molecular biomarkers with analysis on Malpighian tubules. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Malpighian tubules are the primary excretory and osmoregulator organs of insects. Data reviewed here show that the exposure to pesticides and heavy metals cause alterations in the cells of Malpighian tubules easily recognizable by ultrastructural analyses. As insects inhabit an enormous range of ecological niches both in terrestrial and aquatic environments, alterations in Malpighian tubules are a good candidate for monitoring studies as biomarkers of sublethal effects induced by toxicants.