Morphometric studies of rat glial cell ultrastructure after urease-induced hyperammonaemia

The ultrastructure of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes was investigated in hyperammonaemic rats injected daily with urease for 4 days. Glial cells were randomly photographed and magnified x28 000. Cell and nuclear sizes were estimated by planimetry and mitochondrial size and density were measured by image analysis. After 4 days of hyperammonaemia the astrocyte cytoplasmic area was increased by 46%. Mitochondrial area was increased by 20%, but after correction for cytoplasmic oedema the number and size of mitochondria were not significantly increased. The nuclear and cytoplasmic areas of oligodendrocytes were unchanged. The mitochondria of oligodendrocytes were small in the hyperammonaemic group and so was their percentage area to cytoplasmic area, but their numbers were unchanged. It was concluded that hyperammonaemia induces astrocyte oedema and increases the astrocyte mitochondrial content. These findings support the assumption that the astrocytes are the active cells in the brain metabolism of ammonia. The decrease in oligodendrocyte mitochondrial content could be considered a point against an active function of oligodendrocyte mitochondria in ammonia metabolism in hyperammonaemia.