histological study of the effect of verrucarin J-toxin on the kidney and spleen of adult male mice

ABSTRACT

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of verrucarin J-toxin [which is one of the metabolic products of fungi that naturally contaminate cereal crops] on the structure of the kidney and spleen of adult male mice. Thirty male mice were used in this study. The animals were divided into three groups [10 mice each]. Group I was injected with saline and served as control. Groups II and III were injected intraperitoneally with single dose of 0.5 mg/kg and 0.9 mg/kg of verrucarin.J toxin respectively. Animals were sacrificed after 4 weeks of administration. Specimens from both kidney and spleen were taken and prepared for both light and electron microscopic examination. The changes observed in the structure of both kidney and spleen were dose dependent. In the kidney, there was extensive vacuolation of the tubular lining cells. The nuclei were dense and irregular. Large focal areas of cellular infiltration were frequently observed. Ultrastructurally, the proximal tubular cells showed disruption in the apical microvilli. Large vacuoles and myelin-like figures were also observed. The distal tubules showed exfoliation of some cells into the lumen. In the spleen, some cells showed degenerative changes in the form of demise irregular nuclei and vacuolated cytoplasm. There were large cells with irregular nuclei and voluminous cytoplasm scattered among the splenic cells in the red pulp. Electron microscopic examination revealed giant cells with electron dense cytoplasm and irregular nuclei with clumps of chromatin granules. The cytoplasm was so dense that the organelles were hardly identified