1980 Volume 54 Issue 12 Pages 563-572
Four groups of rats were fed vitamin F. deficient or supplemented diets containing 5.6% or 15.6% linoleic acid, respectively, for 100 days. The histological changes of the adrenal cortex of these. rats were examined. The results obtained are as follows : 1) The cortical cells of zona glomerulosa of the vitamin E deficient rats did not show remarkable changes but those of the rats fed vitamin E deficient and linoleic acid supplemented diets showed decreases of cell size and increase of lysosomes and lipofuscin. 2) The cells of zona fasciculata of the vitamin E deficient rats reduced in size and contained enlarged mitochondria, large lipid droplets, many lysosomes and less developed endoplasmic reticula. 3) The cells of zona reticularis of the vitamin E deflcient and linoleic acid treated rats atrophied remarkably and contained large amount of lipofuscin which seems to be developed from lysosomes, accumulating the degenerated cytoplasmic organelles and lipoidal substances. Some cells were filled with large mass of degenerated mitochondria and a few lipid droplet. Many macrophages containing a large amount of lipofuscin were observed in the zona reticularis of these rats. 4) The ACTH secreting cells of the pituitary gland of vitamin E deficient rats were enlarged.
