Morphological changes in mitochondria and lysosomes of hepatocytes in acute intoxication with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).

The hepatotoxic effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was investigated. Ultrastructural changes were evaluated under a transmission electron microscope. Certain histoenzymatic reactions were examined (to acid phosphatase according to Gomori (AP) and to succinic dehydrogenase (SD) according to Nachlas) in parenchymal cells of the rat liver in acute intoxication induced by this herbicide. The experiment used 60 male Wistar rats divided into two groups: I-control--18 animals and II--42 animals which received chemically pure 2,4-D acid by gastric gavage in a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. The animals were sacrificed after 12, 24, 48 hours and 4, 10 and 30 days of the experiment. The results indicate that the administration of 2,4-D acid to rats in a dose inducing acute intoxication leads to histoenzymatic and ultrastructural changes in the liver, which suggest nonspecific reversible adaptive-type damage to parenchymal cells. The changes observed indicate disorders in energetic processes in hepatocytes and are morphological exponents of intense detoxicative processes.