Ultrastructural and cytochemical changes in the heart of iron-deficient rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 weeks that were maintained on an iron-deficient diet for 4-5 weeks developed severe anemia with markedly reduced hemoglobin levels (3.94 +/- 0.14 Hb g% versus controls 12.9 +/- 0.11 Hb g%). Iron-deficiency resulted in marked cardiac hypertrophy (cardiomegaly). On sacrifice, the hearts were processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. The major ultrastructural changes were found in the hypertrophied left ventricle and left papillary muscles. Iron-deficiency caused marked edema in myocytes, sarcomeres were out of register, and degeneration and discontinuities in myofilaments were common. Iron-deficiency resulted in the enlargement of the interfibrillar mitochondria, changes in the matrix and the formation of electron-dense amorphous bodies. The ultrastructural changes in myocytes in response to experimental iron-deficiency were similar to those described by others in cases of experimental ischemia or hypoxia. Mitochondrial changes were also found in the atria of iron-deficient rats. Quantitative cytochemical measurement of succinate dehydrogenase activity was determined and was shown to be substantially reduced in the iron-deficient heart. In severely iron-deficient rats restored to a normal iron-sufficient diet for two weeks, hemoglobin levels recovered, however the myocytes of the hypertrophied left ventricles and papillary muscles continued to show severe degenerative changes.

Evidence for a differential distribution of reducing equivalents from NADPH in cartilage.

It has been suggested that the NADPH, generated from the activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, may be utilized by two different routes, namely either for biosynthesis purposes (type 2) or for microsomal respiration (type 1). This concept has been tested in the rabbit ear model in which an injection of papain into the rabbit causes loss of proteoglycans of the auricular matrix followed by its restoration over the following eight days. It is shown that whereas the type 1 pathway was either unaltered or diminished, the doubling of the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was related solely to the type 2 pathway.

Differential decline of rabbit chondrocytic dehydrogenases with age.

We have previously found that the restoration of cartilage matrical proteoglycans is preceded by markedly increased activity of uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase (UDPGD), an enzyme directly associated with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis, and by increased activity of enzymes of the major energy yielding pathways (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)). We did not find an increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In the present longitudinal study of rabbits (from 5 weeks to 42 months of age), we looked for age related changes in the activity of these enzymes in auricular chondrocytes, as well as for collagen and GAG content. Collagen content (micrograms/wet weight) increased up to 12 months and remained stable; total GAG content (micrograms/wet weight) reached its maximal value at growth and then declined gradually, reducing the GAG/collagen ratio dramatically from 36 to 8. At any age LDH was two to three times more active than either G6PD, aldolase, or GAPD. SDH and UDPGD activities were even lower. The age related changes varied: (1) LDH and GAPD were stable and did not change with either growing or aging; (2) G6PD and aldolase reached their maximal activity at 3-9 months, followed by a sharp drop at 12 months. G6PD remained stable, while aldolase continued to decline, although more slowly; (3) Maximal activity of SDH and UDPGD was measured at 5 weeks. Thus, the changes in enzyme activity in chondrocytes with age were specific for each enzyme. The significant decline in G6PD, aldolase, the rate-limiting enzymes of the pentose shunt and classic glycolysis, and SDH markedly reduced the ability of chondrocytes to generate energy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Chondroitinase ABC affects the activity of intracellular enzymes in rabbit articular cartilage chondrocytes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the response of intrachondrocytic enzymes to specific matrix proteoglycan depletion induced by nonproteolytic enzyme, i.e., chondroitinase ABC. METHODS: The activity of uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase in the patellar cartilage chondrocytes of postpubertal rabbit was measured cytochemically following a single intraarticular injection of chondroitinase ABC. RESULTS: Dose dependent depression of dehydrogenase activity of duration up to 14 weeks was detected in chondrocytes of all cartilage zones. CONCLUSION: Chondroitinase ABC induced marked proteoglycan depletion, which was not associated with light microscopy structural damage. The mechanism(s) by which chondroitinase ABC produces intracellular effects are unknown.

Ultrastructural changes in mitochondria of the adrenal cortex of iron-deficient rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 weeks that were maintained on an iron-deficient diet for 4-5 weeks developed severe anemia with markedly reduced hemoglobin levels (4.11 +/- 0.20 Hb g% versus controls 12.74 +/- 0.15 Hb g%). On sacrifice, the adrenal glands were removed and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy and enzyme cytochemistry. The major histological and ultrastructural changes in the adrenal cortex in response to the iron deficiency were seen in cells of the zona fasciculata, especially in its outer region, and to a lesser degree in cells of the zona reticularis. Structural changes were seen in the mitochondria of these cells, which often became grossly enlarged and developed unusual electron-dense inclusions. In addition, the lipid droplets in the iron-deficient cells of these regions were much less developed and less prominent compared with controls. Quantitative cytochemical localization of succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity in the adrenal glands showed that in iron-deficient rats there was an increase in SDH activity in the zona fasciculata (46%) and in the zona reticularis (74%), whereas there was a reduction of approximately 41% in SDH activity in the zona glomerulosa. Serum corticosterone levels were significantly raised in the iron-deficient rats compared with the control rats. Our results indicate that severe nutritional iron deficiency in rats causes ultrastructural and cytochemical changes in the mitochondria of the adrenal cortex accompanied by increased secretion of corticosterone.