A morphometric study of the effects of short-term starvation on rat hepatocytes.
Short-term (24 h) starvation induced a significant decrease in the liver weight and in the average volume of hepatocytes, together with a notable decrease in the hepatic concentration of proteins, glycogen, cholesterol and triglycerides. Hepatocyte atrophy was due for about 95% to the decrease in the membrane space, in which glycogen and endoplasmic reticulum membranes are contained, and for about 5% to the depletion of lipid droplets, in which cholesterol and triglycerides are stored. Nuclei, mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum did not display appreciable modifications. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum underwent a net decrease, comparable with the decrease in the liver protein content, and the volume of dense-body compartment was increased, mainly through the rise in the number of microautophagic vacuoles and secondary lysosomes. These last findings were interpreted as the morphological counterpart of the fasting-induced enhancement of protein degradation in rat liver.
Belloni
A S
AS
Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy.
Rebuffat
P
P
Gottardo
G
G
Meneghelli
V
V
Coi
A
A
Mazzocchi
G
G
Nussdorfer
G G
GG
D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013217:Starvation / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors