Microscopic and enzyme histochemical studies on the liver and kidney of rats treated with fulvine, the toxic alkaloidal constituent of Crotolaria fulva.

Histochemical changes in the liver of rats, treated with the pyrrolizidine alkaloidal constituent of Crotalaria fulva, indicated primarily damage of the hepatic parenchymal cells. The observed differences in activity of enzymes suggested functional inpairment of the cell membrane, mitochondria, endoplasmatic reticulum, and lysosomes in the liver cells. In large doses, fulvine produced a hyaline droplet degeneration in the epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubules of the kidney. Stability of the mitochondrial and changes in activity of the lysosomal enzymes would imply a functional adaptation, rather than primary damage of the epithelium.(AU)