[Effects of reduced diet and physical stress on liver lysosomes. Morphological and biochemical studies]

Groups of 15 rats each (I--non-reduced diet; II--non-reduced diet and physical stress; III--diet reduced by 40%; IV--reduced diet and physical stress) were examined after 20 and 140 days, respectively. The electron microscopic examination revealed that the most important changes had occurred in group III; there exists an excess of autophagolysosomes. The biochemical examinations show that the reduced diet (group III) also produces a considerable increase in activity of most of the lysosome enzymes in the liver. The occurrence of autophagy evidences that this is either physiologically induced or the manifestation of a beginning pathological process.