Effects of angiotensin II on the zona fasciculata of the rat adrenal cortex: an ultrastructural stereologic study.

Abstract

The effects of a chronic administration of angiotensin II on the zona fasciculata of rats treated with dexamethasone and maintenance doses of ACTH were investigated by morphometric methods applied to electron microscopy. It was found that angiotensin induced a significant increase in the volume of cells, nuclei, mitochondrial and lipid compartments as well as in the surface area of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial cristae. Noticeable also were the hypertrophy of the Golgi apparatus and the increase in the number of acid phosphatase-positive dense bodies. These findings are interpreted as indicating that the renin-angiotensin system is involved in the stimulation of the growth and steroidogenic capacity of the rat zona fasciculata.