Electron microscopic studies on the effects of amanitin in mice: liver and heart lesions

Abstract

In the liver, lesions of the hepatocytes, Kupffer and endothelial cells are present. The hepatocytes show alterations of sinusoidal microvilli, large vacuoles delimited by a membrane continuous with the plasma membrane, and interruptions of the plasma membrane. In the skeletal muscle only rare and mild alterations are observed. In the heart the early lesions seem to be located in the capillaries, which present swelling of endothelial cells and absence of pinocytotic vesicles. Successively severe lesions (consisting of endocellular edema and rupture of the plasma membrane with extrusion of the cellular organelles) also appear in the myocardial cells. It may be deduced that amanitin probably exerts a noxious action at the level of the plasma membrane. © 1967 Springer-Verlag.