The Ratio Mitochondria-Cytoplasm in Normal and Tumor Cells

Abstract

A new technique for quantitative study of mitochondria is proposed. This method is based on the measurement by a photometric system of the area of the mitochondria and of the cytoplasm on electron microscopic photographs. Photographs are transferred on drawing paper. Mitochondria are blackened with India ink and a first measurement is taken. Then, nuclei and extracellular spaces are blackened and a second measurement is made, to obtain the area of cytoplasm by difference to the total area. The percent ratio mitochondria-cytoplasm is then calculated. With this method, the ratio mitochondria-cytoplasm in cells from normal liver and from Yoshida ascites hepatoma, was studied in rats. The average values of the percent ratio were 22.49 for normal and 6.61 for tumor cells.