[Ultrastructural changes of liver, heart, lung and kidney of mice in a large dose of ethanol injection].

Abstract

Ethanol was injected intraperitoneally to dd-strain mice (20-25 g) with a dose of 5 g/kg body weight. The animals were sacrificed by the cervical dislocation at 4, 8, 12 and 24 hr after the ethanol injection. The changes of the ultrastructure of liver, heart, lung and kidney were examined by a transmission electron microscope. The results; from 4 hr to 24 hr after ethanol injection, deposition of fat droplets, swelling of mitochondria, enlargement of rough endoplasmic reticulum and loss of glycogen granules were observed in hepatocytes. Also, the edema of hepatocytes and intravascular hemostasis were found. These changes were aggravated with time course. In the heart, intravascular hemostasis, edema of myocardium, remarkable decrease of glycogen, swelling of mitochondria and appearance of I bands of myocardial fibers were observed. The damage to the myocardium by ethanol injection was similar to that associated with ischemia and anoxia. In the lung and the kidney, at early time after ethanol injection intravascular hemostasis and cell edema were observed but no other electron microscopical changes were found during the experiment. At 4 hr and 24hr after ethanol injection the edema of sinusoidal endothelial cell of liver and at 24hr that of endothelial cell of capillaries of heart were observed. These histological results suggest that the cell damages and intravascular hemostasis would be caused mainly by a direct action of ethanol. The damages of the liver and the heart, however, on the time blood ethanol was not detected would be caused by the disturbance of metabolism owing to ethanol oxidation.