A SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY AND COMPUTER IMAGE-PROCESSING MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF THE PHARMACOLOGICAL REGULATION OF PATENCY OF THE PERITONEAL STOMATA

The experiment on mice was carried out by injecting intraperitoneally Chinese materia medica for treating hepatocirrhosis with ascites. Obse rvations and a quantitative analysis were carried out on the pharmacol ogical regulation of the peritoneal stomata by using a scanning electr on microscope (SEM) and a computer image processing system attached to the SEM. There was a significant increase in both the diameter (P < 0 .05) and distribution density (P < 0.01) of the peritoneal stomata in the red sage root and alismatis rhizome groups, whereas the effect of poria and poria peel was not significant compared with the control gro up (P > 0.05). Our findings confirm the effect of red sage root and al ismatis rhizome on the regulation of the peritoneal stomata, which can enhance the absorption of ascitic fluid, taking into consideration th e absorbent function of these stomata. They indicate that the patency of peritoneal stomata can vary in response to the effect of some Chine se materia. They also suggest that the ascites is drained mainly by me ans of enhancing the patency of the stomata and lymphatic absorption o f the stomata during the process of treatment by traditional Chinese m edicine.