Morphometric analysis of peroxisomes in the liver cells of male rats during postnatal development

Quantitative changes in the cell components of male Wistar rats (Rehbrücke stock) were determined daily from birth to the 7th day, on the 14th, 21st and 28th day and monthly from the 2nd to the 6th month. At birth, peroxisomes have a volume density of 0.021 ± 0.001, which does not change substantially until the 6th month (0.022 ± 0.008). Numerical density increases from 0.0277 ± 0.0014 at birth to 0.0863 ± 0.0033 in the 6th month. The relative volume of peroxisomes increases in the same period from 98.9 ± 5.2 μm³ to 221.4 ± 8.3 μm³. The number of peroxisomes per hepatocyte increases from 130.4 ± 6.8 to 868.5 ± 33.4. The volume of the individual peroxisome, on the other hand drops from 0.79 μm³ to 0.25 μm³. Changes in peroxisomes vary in the sinusoidal zone, the lateral zone and the zone near the bile canaliculi.