Ultrastructural and cytochemical changes in the respiratory compartment of the lungs in rats after combined treatment with fine silicon dioxide powder and uridine.

Electron microscopy and cytochemical study of alveolar tissue of rat lungs were performed at the early stage after intratracheal treatment with fine silicon dioxide powder. The preparation was administered to animals receiving or not receiving intravenous injection of uridine. Dust particles permeated the cytoplasm, mitochondria, and nuclei of cells in the air-blood barrier of the alveoli. Uridine decreased the severity of dust-induced damage to cells and increased intracellular glycogen content.