Comparative study of effects of magnesium and taurine on electrical parameters of natural and artificial membranes. VIII. Effect on the ultrastructure of human amniotic epithelial cells.

The ultrastructure of human amniotic epithelial cells from normal pregnancies, at term, was studied using transmission electron microscopy. The results were analysed by a stereological method which indicates the ratio between the volume of the intercellular space (R1, the microvilli (R2), and the podocytes (R3) versus the cell volume. At low concentration (2 mM), MgCl2 decreased R1 and R3 and had no significant effect on R2. In contrast, taurine (2 mM) increased R1 and had no significant effect on R2 and R3. There is no vicarious action between Mg and taurine. These data are in contrast to the results obtained after electrophysiological studies, which indicates that the structural targets for Mg and taurine are different from the targets responsible for ionic transfer.