[Experimental hypervitaminosis A in the rat. 14. Morphological and morphometric study of changes in the esophageal epithelium].

Male rats were subjected to hypervitamin A treatment by daily intraperitoneal injections of 150 UI Arovit per g body weight. Another group of rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline solution for ten days and were used as controls. The results indicated that: 1) the body weight of animals treated with excess vitamin A was decreased; 2) histological analysis of the esophageal epithelium in treated animals showed increased thickness, characterizing a picture of hyperplasia and hypertrophy. On the basis of the results obtained, we suggest that excess vitamin A may act on the esophageal epithelium by direct action on the epithelial structures, stimulating and increase of the mitosis, and on the epithelium (mediated by the adrenals), resulting in increased thickness due to the concentration of a larger number of more immature cells. These alterations were more evident in the lower esophageal third.