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 knownabout the effect on Malpighian tubules playing an essential role in excretion and osmoregulation. Analyses of structural andfunctional alterations on this organ can be useful to predict the effects at the organism and population level in monitoringstudies of environmental pollution. The aim of the present review is to provide a synthesis of existing knowledge on cellulardamages induced by xenobiotics in Malpighian tubules both under laboratory and field conditions. We compared studies ofexposure to pesticides and heavy metals as mainly environmental contaminants from anthropogenic activities. This reportprovided evidence that the exposure to xenobiotics has an effect on this organ and reinforces the need for further researchintegrating molecular biomarkers with analysis on Malpighian tubules.