Morphometrical and biochemical analysis on autofluorescent granules in various tissues and cells of the rats under several nutritional conditions

The effects of age and nutritional conditions on accumulation of autofluorescent granules in various organs and tissues of male Sprague-Dawley rats were compared morphometrically. The relative intensity of the specific fluorescence of these autofluorescent granules was similar in all tissues and cells examined. In almost all cases, there were more autofluorescent granules in the 12-month experiment than in the 4-month one. Multiple necrotic foci of myofibrils with an accumulation of autofluorescent granules were seen in striated muscles in the rats on vitamin E-deficient diets for 12 months. In splenocytes, renal proximal convoluted tubules and hepatic cells, autofluorescent granules quantitatively increased significantly with an increase of the corn oil contents in the diets. The increase was rather marked in the splenocytes and renal epithelia of vitamin E-deficient rats. In the Purkinje cells and bronchial epithelial cells, no significant differences were noted according to the difference in the vitamin E and corn oil contents in diets. The accumulation of autofluorescent granules was not merely considered to be an age-related change, but to be influenced by a relationship to the cell metabolism and functional activity in various organs.