Morphometry of mitochondria in ovine forestomach epithelia: high densities of mitochondria correlate with specialised metabolic activity.

The volume density of mitochondria and the surface density of mitochondrial inner membranes were investigated in the stratified squamous epithelia of the oesophagus and forestomachs of sheep, and in the oesophagus and nonglandular part of the ventricle of rats. The higher values found for both parameters in all forestomach regions are thought to be correlated with the special metabolic activity known to take place in these epithelia.