Chlorphentermine-induced alterations in the lungs of vitamin E-deficient and -supplemented rats: quantitative ultrastructural analysis of Type II Cell response.

Response of alveolar Type II (T-II) cells of male Sprague-Dawley weanling rats maintained on vitamin E (VE)-deficient and -supplemented diets to chlorphentermine (CP) treatment was evaluated. Ultrastructural and quantitative procedures were used to assess the T-II cell-drug interaction. Subjective examination of photomicrographs revealed numerous disrupted surfactant lamellar bodies in the CP-treated animals, as compared to fewer in controls. In addition, an unusual amorphous material was associated with these cells in drug-treated animals. Quantitative assessment confirmed the above subjective impression and revealed an increase in the size of T-II cells in treated rats. Morphometric evaluation showed that CP treatment significantly altered the volume density of cytoplasm, mitochondria, and rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Furthermore, a significant interaction between the diet and treatment with respect to volume fractions of mitochondria, RER, and Golgi complex was observed. The present study indicates that cytoplasmic components in T-II cells are altered as a result of CP treatment and that VE status of the animals influences the nature and extent of these alterations.