Abstract
Morphological changes of fat cells in epididymal adipose tissue of rats during starvation were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By SEM, fat cells from fed rats appeared spherical with a smooth surface, but with many craters or pits of 4μm mean diameter. These corresponded to small circular electron-lucent areas seen at the periphery surrounded by a thin cytoplasmic layer by TEM. During starvation SEM showed that the fat cells developed an indented, uneven surface without pits. TEM of these cells showed an increase in number and size of vesicles in the cytoplasmic matrix with a wrinkled plasmic membrane. It is suggested that the increase in the cytoplasmic vesicles in fat cells during starvation is related to, or involved in an increase in lipolytic activity.
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