Leonardo Resta

Publications (2)2.21 Total impact

• Article: Diabetic placenta: ultrastructure and morphometry of the term villi.

  Roberta Rossi, Giovanni Scillitani, Antonella Vimercati, Maria G Fiore, Maria Mastrodonato, Leonardo Resta
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  ABSTRACT: To verify the ultrafine conformation of term villi in diabetic and normal placentae. Villar dysmaturity and chorangiosis are considered the most frequent findings in diabetic placentae, but their histogenesis is still unclear. We performed a morphometric study of 38 term villi in 5 diabetic placentae and of 37 term villi of 5 normal placentae in order to know the different extension of endothelial surface (VL), the maximum (D max) and minimum (D min) distance of the vessels from the basal membrane, as well as the exact thickness of basal membrane (MT BM). The villi were examined with transmission electron microscopy, and parameters were automatically acquired with the iTEM software (Soft Imaging System, Münster, Germany). VL results were statistically higher in diabetic placentae than in normal ones. Also D max and D min were higher in diabetic disease. MT BM was not different in the two groups. Our findings show that, in the presence of chorangiosis, the vessel surface in diabetic placentae is higher than in normal group, but the vessels are randomly distributed in term villi. The basal membrane is not different in the two groups. Morphometric evaluation seems to be more accurate using ultrafine samples.
  Analytical and quantitative cytology and histology / the International Academy of Cytology [and] American Society of Cytology 10/2012; 34(5):239-47. · 0.41 Impact Factor
• Article: Caveolin-1 and mitochondrial alterations in regenerating rat liver.

  Maria Mastrodonato, Piero Portincasa, Donatella Mentino, Roberta Rossi, Leonardo Resta, Domenico Ferri, Giuseppa Esterina Liquori
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  ABSTRACT: The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate after partial hepatectomy (PH), although the factors governing such ability are still poorly understood. During the prereplicative phase of the regeneration, ultrastructural alterations of periportal hepatocytes were seen, including mitochondrial swelling, abnormal accumulation of lipids, and myelin figures which could lead to the formation of lipid droplets. As it has been hypothesized that caveolin-1 is involved in lipidogenesis and in mitochondrial homeostasis, we aimed to study the subcellular distribution of caveolin-1 in hepatocytes at an early stage following PH. Liver samples were processed for light and electron microscopy at 0 h, 24 h, and 96 h after PH. The expression and subcellular distribution of caveolin-1 was assessed by immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical techniques. Following PH, at 24 h, membranes of altered mitochondria of periportal hepatocytes exhibited significant decrease of caveolin-1 expression compared with control. Myelin figures showing high expression of caveolin-1 were also seen. At 96 h, hepatocytes became ultrastructurally similar to the control liver, and the expression of caveolin-1 on mitochondria showed a moderate increase compared with 24 h after PH. Decrease of expression of caveolin-1 in the altered liver mitochondrial membranes at 24 h following PH, and the high expression of caveolin-1 observed on myelin figures, suggests involvement of caveolin-1 is in both mitochondrial homeostasis and lipidogenesis. Addressing the role played by caveolin-1 during liver regeneration might disclose additional features of mitochondrial homeostasis and lipidogenesis during frequent metabolic liver diseases.
  Microscopy Research and Technique 03/2012; 75(8):1026-32. · 1.79 Impact Factor