The effect of feeding and fasting on fenestrations in the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell

Methods: Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate fenestrations in livers from fasted and fed rats. Results: Fasting for 48 hours in rats was associated with an increase in the diameter of fenestrations from 90.7 +/- 11.7 nm in the fed state to 99.0 +/- 12.11 nm (p < 0.005). There was a concomitant reduction in the frequency of fenestrations from 8.45 +/- 2.43 to 7.39 +/- 2.28 fenestrations per mu m