Effects of pre- and postnatal protein deprivation and postnatal refeeding on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) granules of auricular cardiocytes  Eliane Florencio Gama, Edson Aparecido Liberti, Jurema Carmona Sattin Cury, Antonio Augusto Coppi, Romeu Rodrigues de Souza  European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism  Volume 5, Issue 2, Pages e85-e89 (April 2010) DOI: 10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003 Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 1 Electron micrograph of right auricular cardiocytes from normally fed rat. Most ANP-granules (arrows) are observed in the cytoplasm among myofibrils (MY) and mitochondria (M). European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 2 Electron micrograph of right auricular cardiocytes from undernourished rat. Two types of ANP-granules are observed: granules with a distinct limiting membrane and electron-dense core (arrow), and granules (arrowhead) with an indistinct membrane. European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 3 The appearance of cardiocytes in samples taken from rats whose mothers were protein deprived prenatally and for whom protein deprivation was continued to 42 days postnatal. Note the presence of vacuoles (arrows) and polymorphic mitochondria with disorganized cristae (arrowheads) and reduction in the number of ANP-granules. European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 4 Comparison of cardiocytes of the right auricle from rats that were fed normally through pregnancy and to 42 days postnatal (A), when the tissue was taken, and cardiocytes from rats that were protein deprived through pregnancy and to 21 days postnatal, after which they had a normal diet to the time of sampling at 42 days (B). The cardiocytes and ANP-granules (arrows) had a similar appearance in both groups. This indicates that refeeding caused a recovery of the cell organization, which had been abnormal at 42 days after protein deprivation (Fig. 3). European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 5 Representative gross sections of hearts from nourished (A) and undernourished rats (B) and from rats that were protein deprived to 21 days and then supplied with normal diet until 42 days (C). Note the decrease of the heart dimensions in the undernourished rat (B) and in the protein deprived to 21 days and then normally fed to 42 days (C). European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions

Fig. 6 Histogram showing the distributions of ANP-granule diameters (nm) in the cardiocytes of 42-day old rats submitted to protein deprivation pre- and postnatal (D42) compared to normally fed rats (N42) and rats that were protein deprived to 21 days and then supplied with normal diet (refed) until 42 days (DR42). São Paulo, 7 of May of 2009. European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 5, e85-e89DOI: (10.1016/j.eclnm.2010.02.003) Copyright © 2010 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Terms and Conditions