Myocardial lesions induced by rapeseed oil-rich diet in the rat: ultrastructural aspects.

Rats were fed a diet containing 15 g% of rapeseed oil rich in erucic acid (55%). At different stages of the experiment, the hearts were examined in the electron microscope and planimetric studies were performed, with special attention to lipid accumulation and mitochondrial mass. The already known data concerning the early appearance and reversibility of the intracellular lipidosis, the delay (2 to 3 months) in the occurrence of the cellular lesions, and the lack of correlation between the degree of lipidosis and degenerative changes were confirmed...