Figure 6: Ultrastructural features of alcohol-induced liver injury and PPAR agonist effects. Adult male Long Evans rats were chronically fed with liquid diets containing (A-D) 0% or (E-H) 37% ethanol, and administered i.p. injections of (A,E) vehicle, or a (B,F) PPAR-α, (C,G) PPAR-δ, or (D,H) PPAR-γ agonist. Spurr’s resin-embedded, 50-60 nm thick sections of liver were contrasted with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined by EM. (A-D, G, H) Note the regular parallel RER stacks (er) with mitochondria (mt) distributed mainly along the periphery but in close proximity to the RER. (E,F,H) Chronic ethanol feeding resulted in increased density of lipid droplets (L), irregular shape and enlargement of mitochondria, and disruption of the RER architecture. N=nucleus. (Original magnifications, 7100x).