Effect of docosahexaenoic acid and sardine oil diets on the ultrastructure of hepatocytes in adult mice.

Abstract

The influence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the ultrastructure of hepatocytes was studied. Adult male mice of Crj:CD-1 (ICR) strain were fed a fat-free purified diet supplemented with 5% (by weight) of purified DHA, refined sardine oil, and palm oil. The mice were fed the DHA diet or the palm oil diet for 7 days, and the sardine oil diet or the palm oil diet for one month. There were significant ultrastructural changes in the hepatocytes between the mice fed palm oil diet and the animals fed DHA and sardine oil diets. Many lipid droplets in the tissues of mice fed the palm oil diet were observed. Few lipid droplets were contained in the hepatocytes from the mice fed DHA and sardine oil diets, but electron-dense bodies were found in their tissues. These electron-dense bodies were mainly found near the region of the nucleus, blood sinusoids and bile canaliculi. These results suggest that the dense bodies found in the DHA and sardine oil diet groups may appear as a result of acceleration of lipid metabolism in the liver of mice.