The intermitochondrial contacts of cardiomyocytes during cardiac adaptation under pathological conditions
Paukov, V.S.; Protsenko, D.D.
Arkhiv Patologii 58(6): 43-50
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-1955 PMID: 9139593 Document Number: 468828
Intermitochondrial junctions (IMJ)-recently described intracellular structures-were investigated in order to evaluate their role in pathology. Chronic and acute pathological processes including myocardial hypertrophy and its regression, chronic alcohol cardiomyopathy, acute pancreatitis and acute diffuse peritonitis were modelled in 106 male rats. The myocardial tissue was studied histologically, electron-microscopically and morphometrically. It is shown that myocardial hyperfunction morphology is due to the heart functional overload that requires its adequate energy supply. Therefore, apart from the mitochondrial hyperplasia, their association by means of IMJ occurs. IMJ number decreased in case of a heart overload reduction, and complete destruction of mitochondria and IMJ takes place in acute conditions leading to the animals' death of heart failure. The authors consider IMJ formation and destruction in pathology to be manifestation of the compensatory-adaptive reaction not described so far.