RESUMEN
The total numbers and sizes of the lipofuscin granules in buccal ganglia of the pond snail Planorbis corneus were measured by light microscope morphometry of serial sections in different groups of animals. One group, weight range 0.5-5.0 g (age 1-4 years), was maintained on a lettuce diet (low Vitamin E content). Lipofuscin content increased with age by over a 100 times in this group. The lipofuscin deposits accumulate in the glial cells at the periphery of the ganglia. The other group, weight range 0.5-5.0 g was fed a supplemented Vitamin E diet for 4 months before quantitisation of the lipofuscin. This diet prevented lipofuscin appearance in the young animals, and reduced the lipofuscin content by 50% in the old animals. The findings provide direct evidence that Vitamin E reduces lipofuscin accumulation in glial cells in intact nervous tissue. The buccal ganglia of Planorbis provide a useful model system for studying age and dietary related alterations of lipofuscin in nervous tissue.