Ultrastructural changes in the hepatocytes of albino rats treated with high doses of rifampin

ABSTRACT

Twelve rats were used, of which 6 rats received 400 mg/kg rifampicin daily for 5 days through an intragastric route, 3 rats received equivalent amounts of saline daily for 5 days, and 3 rats received nothing. The animals were sacrificed on the 6th day after initiation of treatment. Hepatic tissues were taken from all animals and were processed for electron microscopic study. In EM study. there was reduction of glycogen content in all centrilobular hepatocytes, in which few discrete glycogen particles appeared in relation to SER. The periportal hepatocytes showed heterogeneous response in which some cells kept high levels of glycogen and other cells showed marked reduction in glycogen content. There was mild proliferation of SER in both periportal and centrilobular hepatocytes while RER was increased in both areas. Intimate relation between RER and mitochondia was explained