Selective mitochondrial degeneration in renal tubules following hyperbaric oxygen exposure.

To study the ultrastructural effects of hyperoxia on the kidney, young adult Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to 3 atmospheres absolute (ATAs) of pure oxygen for 5 hours and were killed in a time sequence varying from immediately to 30 days after exposure. Their renal cortices were processed for electron microscopy. Selective mitochondrial changes were observed within sublethally and transiently altered proximal tubular epithelial cells. The most consistent finding was the accumulation of 0.08 mu to 0.5 mu round to ovoid homogeneous matrical inclusions which frequently formed larger confluent amorphous masses. The inclusions stained intensely with lead and uranium but appeared homogeneously electron-lucent in unstained sections. Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis revealed that they did not contain calcium or phosphorus. The inclusions were different from the innately electron-opaque flocculent densities commonly found in pathologically altered mitochondria. Since the mitochondria containing them were removed by autophagocytosis, it is suggested that the inclusions were associated with selective mitochondrial degeneration induced by hyperoxia. No glomerular lesions were found.