Ultrastructural changes in the rat exocrine pancreas after jejunoileal bypass

The influence of a 90% jejunoileal bypass on the rat exocrine pancreas was studied by morphometrical procedures. In sham-operated animals exocrine acinar cells accounted for 80.3% of the pancreas volume. These cells are composed of 9.9% nuclei, 8.4% mitochondria, 12.2% zymogen granules, 0.3% lipid droplets and 69.2% of a compartment ("ERGLS") composed of endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, Golgi areas, lysosomes and the cytoplasmic ground substance. Intestinal bypass did not change the volume density of exocrine cells nor that of nuclei in the cells during the three postoperative months. The means nuclear diameter was approximately the same in both groups. However, the volume density of secretory granules diminished by 50%. This was accompanied by a decrease in mean granular diameter, but not in their numerical density. The volume density of lipid droplets increased 10 fold, that of mitochondria increased slightly from the 15th postoperative day but significantly from the 45th day. The remaining cellular compartment composed of "ERGLS" was not modified by intestinal bypass. These findings suggest that a 90% jejunoileal bypass induces major changes in the composition of pancreatic acinar cells but not in their size.