Retinal and lens damages observed in young rats undergoing protein malnutrition in selected stages of their growth.
Ocular damages of young rats undergoing protein malnutrition in selected stages of their growth have been valuated. Malnutrition was induced by a purified, hypoproteinic diet given to mothers or to newborns after their weaning. The histologic results pointed out that protein lack damages ocular structures different in embryonal origin: retina and lens. In fact, vacuolar degeneration of retinal optic fiber layer and cataract of lens were observed in experimental groups of rats. Only lens damage appeared completely reversible after a prolonged nutritional rehabilitation as for rats malnourished during fetal stage and lactation and then rehabilitated for 50 days. On the contrary retinal degeneration was still present in these animals even if some improvement could be observed.
Bonavolontà
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Istituto di Strutture Biologiche e Ultrastruttura Cellulare, Il Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli studi di Napoli.
Ferrante
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Rosati
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D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000209:etiology; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology