DNA synthesis and some morphometric changes in the liver during different regiments of nutrition

Male albino rats were fed for 20 and 140 d on full value (standard pellet), or defective diet (60% of the quantity given to the previous groups). Besides, half of the animals were left to swim daily up to 70 min. Histoautoradiographic and morphometric results point to changes in nuclear classes, the percentage of marked mitoses, the DNA content of the nuclei and the number of binuclear hepatocytes. It is assumed that the physical loading serves as starting mechanism and stimulator to the proliferative activity of the cells; that the defective diet leads to a decrease of the cell nuclei; that the quantity of the enlarged nuclei varies according to the stage of DNA synthesis etc. In general, the data revealed, point to the trend of the regenerative processes occuring in the liver of rats on defective diet and physical strain.