Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 73, Issue 2 136S-141S, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society
Effect of spaceflight on rat hepatocytes: a morphometric study
R. N. Racine and S. M. Cormier
Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Kentucky 40292.
Hepatic tissue from flight, synchronous, vivarium, and tail-suspended rats
was examined by light microscopy and computer-assisted image analysis.
Glycogen levels in flight rats were found to be significantly elevated over
those in controls. Lipid was also higher but not significantly different.
Hepatocytes appeared larger in flight animals because of area attributed to
increased glycogen. Sinusoids were less prominent in flight animals than in
controls. The total Kupffer cell population appeared to be reduced in
flight animals and may represent changes in defensive capacity of the
liver. Alterations in the storage of glycogen and number of Kupffer cells
suggest an important effect of spaceflight on the function of the liver
that may have important implications for long-term spaceflight.
