Ultrastructural and morphometrical analysis of apoptosis stages in cardiomyocytes of MDX mice

Our previous study of apoptosis in mdx mouse myocardium cells demonstrated the presence of middle-sized DNA fragments (60-65 kbp) in extracts of myocardium DNA, and irregular shape of membrane enveloped nuclei in cardiomyocytes. The DNA fragmentation (DNA laddering) was observed after biomechanical stress (5 min sweeming) only. Based on these results we concluded that the majority of cardiomyocytes were at the first stage of apoptosis. The purpose of this work was to provide some morphometrical quantitive characteristics of ultrastructural properties of the nuclei and mitochondria, and to determine morphological patterns of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes of mdx and C57B1 mice. To resolve the task, we made a morphometrical analysis of the electron microscope images of nuclei and mitochondria. First of all, we divided all nuclear images into three categories: normal, semi-pathological, and pathological forms according to the extent of nuclear membrane invaginations and that of condensed chromatin spreading. The most part of C57B1 cardiomyocyte nuclei belonged to the normal form (88.9 +/- 4.3%), while the smaller part (11.1 +/- 4.3%) was regarded as semi-pathological forms. Just a reverse was observed in mdx mice: the largest part of cardiomyocytes fell into category of semi-pathological (54.6 +/- 4.4%) and pathological (31.5 +/- 4.1%) forms while, the smallest part belonged to the normal form (13.8 +/- 3.0%). 24 h after biodynamic stress, the quantity of normal nuclei of C57B1 cardiomyocytes decreased to 61 +/- 5%, the number of semi-pathological nuclei increased to 39.0 +/- 4.4% (P < 0.05). The number of pathological nuclei of mdx, cardiomyocytes fell to 15.4 +/- 3.0% (P < 0.05). It means that mdx cardiomyocytes with pathological form of their nuclei disappear because of emerging the second, destructive stage of apoptosis. To estimate the degree of ultrastructural changes in the nuclei of all three forms of cardiomyocytes we counted the square/perimeter ratio in each nucleus (circle shape factor; CSF). The value of CSF for normal nuclei of all the forms of cardiomyocytes varied between 0.65 +/- 0.02 and 0.71 +/- 0.04. In semi-pathological and pathological nuclei a significant decrease in CSF to 0.56 +/- 0.02 and 0.56 +/- 0.03 was observed, respectively (P < 0.05). The biodynamical stress did not reduce the CSF value below this level. We also counted the ratio of the square to the product of a long and a short axes (ellipse shape factor; ESF). The ESF value for normal nuclei of all forms of cardiomyocytes varied between 0.97 +/- 0.01 and 0.99 +/- 0.01. In the case of mdx mice the biodynamical stress reduced ESF to 0.95 +/- 0.01 (P < 0.05) for pathological form of nuclei. The specific density of mitochondria in mdx cardiomyocytes (0.274 +/- 0.016) was less than that in C57B1 cardiomyocytes (0.329 +/- 0.018). At the destructive stage of apoptosis, the nuclei of cardiomyocytes were round in shape, the nuclear chromatin being hypercondensed, and mitochondria swollen. The cardiomyocyte morphology was in agreement with the definition of the final stage of apoptosis as secondary necrosis. Morphometrical results show that as many as 86-90% of nuclei of mdx cardiomyocytes have abnormal structure that confirms our conclusion that mdx cardiomyocytes were at the first stage of apoptosis. The final stage of apoptosis is rarely observed by biochemical or morphological methods. It suggests the presence of some inner mechanisms regulating the initiation of the final (destructive) stage of mdx cardiomyocyte apoptosis.