PMC9521372_01
PMC9521372_02
PMC9521372_03
PMC9521372_04
PMC9521372_05
PMC9521372_06
PMC9521372_07
Representative TEM images of mitochondrial ultrastructure aberrancies in a 40-year-old patient with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obtained by ultrathin 70-nm sections of hepatic biopsy. White arrows indicate the anomalies identified as follows: Macro (M) - microvesicular (m) steatosis (A) (3,000x magnification), Giant Mitochondria (GM) (B) (4,400x); Irregular Mitochondria (IM) (C) (3,000x); Globular Inclusions (GI) (D) (20,000x); Vacuolated Mitochondria (VM) (E) (7,000x); Peri-droplet Mitochondria (PDM) (F) (7,000x); Elongated Mitochondria (EM), and IM with high-packed cristae and dense matrix, partitioned by the abnormal Internal Cristae (IC) (*) arrangement (G) (3,000X), (H) (4,440x).
fnut-09-967899-g001.jpg
PMC9521372_07_fnut-09-967899-g001.jpg
F1
The hepatic parenchyma was even featured by multifaceted abnormalities of mitochondrial architecture already observed in aggressive NAFLD, such as megamitochondria, elongated mitochondria, and irregular mitochondrial morphology with globular inclusions (Figure 1).
Representative TEM images of onion-like giant mitochondria, defined by swirling layers of cristae membranes, obtained by ultrathin 70-nm sections of hepatic biopsy. Black arrows indicate the anomalies identified as follows: Vacuolated Mitochondria (VM) and "Spotted" Mitochondria (SM) (A) (7,000x), Giant Mitochondria with sub-compartmentalization (*) (B) (7,000x), Onion-like Mitochondria with Concentric Cristae (CC) (C) (4,400x magnification with inserts at 30,000x).
fnut-09-967899-g002.jpg
PMC9521372_07_fnut-09-967899-g002.jpg
F2
LDs (peri-droplet mitochondria) were recurrently found in hepatocytes. Likewise, onion-like mitochondria, defined by concentric layers of cristae membranes, and giant mitochondria characterized by both extremely thick matrix and aberrancies of the inner cristae organization, which seem to induce a mitochondrial sub-compartmentalization, were frequently observed (Figure 2).