The effect of prostaglandins on experimental storage disease in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prostaglandins (PGs) on the release of lysosomes into the extracellular space in experimentally-induced storage disease in rats. The generalized phospholipidosis was induced by oral administration of chlorphentermine to Wistar rats. PG-E2 or PG-F2 alpha (50 micrograms/100 g) was injected intravenously into rats with phospholipidosis. Control rats were injected with the same amount of saline. Twenty-four hours later, extracellular and intracellular lysosomes were analysed morphometrically in electromicrographs of the liver, kidney, myocardium, skeletal muscle, aorta and cervix uteri, having been stained with acid-phosphatase. The morphometric parameters used were the numerical density of lysosomes per unit volume and the volume density of lysosomes per unit volume. The results show that, in comparison with the controls, a volumetric increase of extracellular lysosomes and a volumetric decrease of intracellular lysosomes were achieved by PG-E2 or PG-F2 alpha administration in several organs, but not in the myocardium or skeletal muscles. The effect of PG-F2 alpha was greater than that of PG-E2 in the liver and kidney, while the effect of PG-E2 was greater than that of PG-F2 alpha in the aorta and cervix uteri. These results indicate that PGs influence the discharge of storage lysosomes in bipolar epithelial cells in the liver and kidney, and also influence the release of non-storing lysosomes in apolar mesenchymal cells in the aorta and cervix uteri.