RESUMO
The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic condition of Steatoda grossa (Theridiidae) spider, from their hemocytes, after a short-term (four-week) exposure to cadmium and copper in sublethal doses by administering them into the body of the preys. The ultrastructure of the dominant types of hemocytes, such as granulocytes, plasmatocytes and prohemocytes, was evaluated using transmission electron microscope (TEM). Quantitative evaluation of apoptotic and necrotic cells, as well as the ones with depolarized mitochondria in hemolymph, was performed using flow cytometry, while ATP concentration and ADP/ATP ratio in hemocytes were measured by luminescent methods. Cadmium, unlike copper, demonstrated proapoptotic and pronecrotic activity. Low ATP levels and high ADP/ATP ratio in hemocytes indicate a disturbance in the energy metabolism of cells and may account for their qualitative and quantitative degenerative changes. The intensification of death processes in hemocytes after an exposure to cadmium-contaminated food may impair the ability of these cells to fight infectious diseases. Copper at the applied dosage was safe for the spiders without causing visible changes in the hemocyte ultrastructure and in the level of analyzed cell death indices.