LIVER ULTRASTRUCTURAL PATHOLOGY IN MICE INFECTED WITH PLASMODIUM-BERGHEI

As liver can be an important target organ in malaria, we performed an ultrastructural study of hepatic alterations in the final stage of Pla smodium berghei infection in mice. Significant hepatocyte abnormalitie s were found. An elevated number of cells showed mitochondria with a h igh electron-dense matrix and multiple changes in shape and size, alte rations in the structure of Golgi complex, swelling and disorganisatio n of both rough and smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, differently shaped peroxisome nucleoids, and disappearance of glycogen granules. In other areas the hepatocytes were significantly altered with diminis hed mitrovilli and exhibited myelin-like figures, autophagic vacuoles, abundant lipid droplets, and swollen mitochondria in their cytoplasm. Necrotic and atrophied hepatocytes with scarce microvilli in the Diss e space and biliary canaliculi could be seen. Parasitised red blood ce lls and parasite debris were found inside degenerated hepatocytes. Alt erations were also noticed in microvasculature, including thickened en dothelial cells with swollen mitochondria, lysosomes and autophagic va cuoles in their cytoplasm. Our results demonstrate that hepatocyte dam age is an important finding associated with the advanced stages of P. berghei malarial infection, which may lead to liver dysfunction in thi s disease.