The Short-term Effects Of Single Toxic Citric Acid Doses On Mouse Tissues - Histopathological Study

摘要

In this study, the acute-toxic effects of citric acid, a food preservative, were histopathologically investigated on the liver and kidney tissues of mice. A LD_(25) (480 mg/kg body weight) dose of citric acid was given by intraperito-neal injection, and after ten days several necrotic changes were observed in both tissues by light and electron microscopy. Citric acid treatment caused loosing and combining of hepatocyte membranes; cytoplasmic vacuolization in hepatocytes; picnotic nuclei; mononuclear cell infiltration in small areas, and degeneration of blood vessel endothe-lium in liver; damaging of cell membrane; picnotic nuclei and hypertrophy of lining epithelium of tubules; disappearing of basal membrane and fusing of tubules in kidney. It also caused a decrease in numbers and volume of mitochondria and increase in secondary lysosomes, disorganization and loss of mitochondrial cristae in both tissues, in-vagination of nucleus membrane in liver, disorder of basal infoldings, swelling in endoplasmic reticulum sacs and loss of junctional complex as well as partial separation of tubule cells in kidney. The results suggest that citric acid dose level has toxic effects in mice, and additional toxic properties must be examined in detail.