Ultrastructural study of the effects of trichlorotrifluoroethane on the liver of hairless mice.

Fluorocarbon 113 was applied to the backs of male hairless mice for 10 days, 20 days and 40 days. After each exposure period, the mice were anesthetized and the liver biopsied. The tissue was prepared for light and electron microscopy. The resultant micrographs were stereologically analyzed. N differences in mitochondrial structure were observed between the controls and the animals exposed for 10 days and 40 days. In the animals exposed for 20 days, the mitochondria appeared swollen with a loss of matrix and cristae and a breakdown of one of the mitochondrial membranes. Stereological analysis demonstrated a significant increase in mitochondrial volume in the 20 day exposure group. The relative volume of the endoplasmic reticulum increased significantly over the controls in the animals exposed for 10 days, 20 days and 40 days based on stereological analysis.