Morphometric studies of the hepatocyte mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum after acute ethylene glycol poisoning

The stereology work on the hepatocyte smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and mitochondria was performed in order to bring evidence of changes in the hepatocyte ultrastructure during acute ethylene glycol poisoning. Hepatocytes of Wistar rats were examined 1, 5, and 14 days after acute intoxication. On the ground of measurements made with a computer image analysis system, the following stereological parameters, which characterize the examined organelles, were calculated: volume density of the SER cisterns, surface density of the SER membranes, numerical density of the mitochondria and volume density of mitochondria. It has been stated that on the first day after intoxication proliferation of SER takes place, and this shows active participation of smooth reticulum enzymes in the metabolism of ethylene glycol. The decrease of SER quantity on 5th and 14th day after intoxication may probably be the result of synthesis handicap of structural proteins. The decrease of mitochondria indexes during the 1st day can be the result of considerable sensibility of those organelles to toxic action of ethylene glycol metabolites and metabolite acidosis being the result of intoxication. The progressive increase of mitochondria quantity on the 5th and 14th day shows that gradually the compensatory mechanisms are initiated.