Some electron microscopic aspects of underfed Purkinje cell

ABSTRACT

Newborn mice were subjected to underfeeding during the period of lactation by doubling the little size per lactating mother. Underfed and normally fed pups were sacrificed at two and three postnatal weeks. The cerebellum was fixed in gluteraldehyde. Small blocks from the paravermal region were post fixed in osmic acid. Dehydrated and embedded in epon. Thin sections at 0.04 mu were cut and stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and visualized with the electron microscope to detect the Ultrastructural changes in the underfed Purkinje cell. Purkinje cell of the control pups was well differentiated al two / three postnatal weeks with centralized euchromatic nucleus surrounded by a cytoplasm rich in Nissl substance and mitochondria. Underfed Purkinje cell was delayed in its differentiation as indicated by segmented irregular rough endoplasmic reticulum and free ribosomal pool. These changes with the fewer number of mitochondria declares the reduced protein synthesizing machinery. Granule cells exhibited immature glomeruli with less synaptic contacts and fewer mitochondria than the control. These changes confirm the delayed differentiation and maturation of Purkinje neurons as a result of postnatal underfeeding