EFFECT OF CHRONIC ALCOHOL FEEDING ON THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF RAT PERIPHERAL-BLOOD NEUTROPHILS - A MORPHOMETRIC STUDY

Morphometric methods were used to analyze the ultrastructural characte ristics of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in 10 rats chronically consuming ethanol and 20 rats fed an isoenergetic sta ndard diet (10 ad libitum and 10 pair fed control rats). Morphometric measurements were made, after a 4-month experimental period, of the fo llowing: the profile area of the cell, nucleus and cytoplasm; nucleus to cell profile area; volume density of the nucleus, cytoplasm, mitoch ondria, Golgi system, endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic granules; number of mitochondria per cell profile; number of cytoplasmic granule s per cell profile and per mu m(2) of cytoplasm, as well as the azurop hilic to specific granule ratio and mean diameter of granules. A signi ficant decrease in cell profile area and cytoplasm profile area was sh own in ethanol-treated rats. The volume density of mitochondria and en doplasmic reticulum nearly doubled during ethanol abuse. The results a lso showed that there were highly significant effects of ethanol on th e total number of cytoplasmic granules per cell. In addition, changes were observed in mitochondria such as clumping, elongation, swelling a nd disruption of cristae, as well as changes in the topographic distri bution of granules in the cytoplasm such as registration of cytoplasmi c areas with numerous granules and areas with a smaller number or with out any granules. Some neutrophils of ethanol-treated rats had autopha gic vacuoles. The results indicate some ultrastructural abnormalities of PMN in chronic experimental alcoholism that may be related to polym orphonuclear phagocyte dysfunction.