Genetic vs Hormonal Factors in Lipid Metabolism in Women

This cytochemical study was designed to investigate early metabolic changes in the aortic wall that might lead to or accompany development of atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits. The hypothesis that the primary cellular alteration leading to plaque formation might be due to changes in either carbohydrate or lipid metabolism led to histochemical studies that showed elevation of G-6-Pase in atherosclerotic plaques of rabbit aorta. This observation initiated the present investigation to determine how early in plaque formation and in which cells this change could be observed.Male New Zealand white rabbits of approximately 2000 kg consumed normal diets or diets containing 0.25 or 1.0 gm of cholesterol per day for 10, 50 and 90 days. Aortas were injected jin situ with glutaraldehyde fixative and dissected out. The plaques were identified, isolated, minced and fixed for not more than 10 minutes. Incubation and postfixation proceeded as described by Leskes and co-workers.

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Effects of Hypophysectomy on the Occurrence and Calcifiability of Matrix Vesicles in the Epiphyseal Growth Plate of Immature Rats

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s1431927600002579 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 578-579

Author(s):

S. I. Coleman ◽

W. J. Dougherty

Keyword(s):

Growth Plate ◽

Matrix Vesicles ◽

Epiphyseal Growth Plate ◽

Hard Tissue ◽

Hormonal Factors ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Mineral Deposition ◽

Thin Sectioning ◽

Integral Role ◽

Cellular Secretion

In the cellular secretion theory of mineral deposition, extracellular matrix vesicles are believed to play an integral role in hard tissue mineralization (1). Membrane limited matrix vesicles arise from the plasma membrane of epiphyseal chondrocytes and tooth odontoblasts by a budding process (2, 3). Nutritional and hormonal factors have been postulated to play essential roles in mineral deposition and apparently have a direct effect on matrix vesicles of calcifying cartilage as concluded by Anderson and Sajdera (4). Immature (75-85 gm) Long-Evans hooded rats were hypophysectomized by the parapharyngeal approach and maintained fourteen (14) days post-surgery. At this time, the animals were anesthetized and perfusion fixed in cacodylate buffered 2.5% glutaraldehyde. The proximal tibias were quickly dissected out and split sagittally. One half was used for light microscopy (LM) and the other for electron microscopy (EM). The halves used for EM were cut into blocks approximately 1×3 mm. The tissue blocks were prepared for ultra-thin sectioning and transmission EM. The tissue was oriented so as to section through the epiphyseal growth plate from the zone of proliferating cartilage on down through the hypertrophic zone and into the initial trabecular bone. Sections were studied stained (double heavy metal) and unstained.

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