Beryllium-Induced Ultrastructural Changes in Intact and Regenerating Liver

Abstract

Intact or partially hepatectomized male rats were given intravenous aqueous BeSO₄ · 4H₂O. Light microscope studies of partially hepatectomized animals examined at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after injection of 15, 30, or 60μmols BeSO₄ per kilogram or given 30/μmols BeSO₄ per kilogram 8, 12, and 22 hours after partial hepatectomy and killed at 28 hours, revealed liver necrosis in animals surviving 48 hours, and abolition of mitoses in animals treated 20 or 16 hours before death. Ultrastructural alterations in both intact and partially hepatectomized animals examined 24 hours following Be injection included vacuolization and dense deposits in lysosomes, loss of fibrils and appearance of dense plaques in some nucleoli, and distortion of bile canaliculi. The lysosomal changes and inhibition of mitosis correlate well with previous biochemical studies.