[Ultramicroscopic aspects of the lungs in copper-deficient newborn rats].

In order to investigate the possible morphological alterations in the lungs of copper-deficient neonatal rats, three groups of 10 female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The copper-deficient group was fed with a copper-free diet beginning at 35 days before pregnancy and throughout the gestation period. The control group received a diet adequate in copper and the pair-fed group received a diet with adequate copper content, but in limited amounts. After birth, the ultrastructural study of the neonatal lungs showed a thickening of the air-blood barrier in the copper-deficient group. No other differences were observed in the rest of the pulmonary structures.