抄録
To elucidate the relationship between adrenal insufficiency and the so-called ‘lymphatic constitution’, the electron and light microscopic changes of the heart muscle, the changes of electrocardiogram and the general condition of adrenal-ectomized rats were studied.
The adrenalectomized rats exhibited decrease in both the body and heart weights, cardiac arrhythmia, bradycardia and disappearance of P wave. Light-microscopically, the muscle fibers were atrophic, edematous and uneven in staining. Electron-microscopically, the mitochondria enlarged, their external membranes were destroyed and the electron density of mitochondria) matrix was diminished. The cristae decreased and became fragmented. Edema and fat droplets appeared around the mitochondria. Glycogen granules decreased noticeably in number. The myofibrils became slender and fragmented.
The above results suggested that these ultrastructural changes might be induced by ischemia due to spasm of the coronary artery which was causable by parasympathetic excitation in adrenal insufficiency, and the changes seemed to contribute to reduction of the reserve power of the heart and to development of cardiac failure.
