Effects of soy protein on the morphology of ileum and the ultrastructure of liver cells in adult mice.

The influences of soy protein on the morphology of ileum and on the ultrastructure of liver were studied. Adult male mice of the Crj: CD-1 (ICR) strain were fed a semisynthetic diet containing casein or soy protein for three weeks. Villus heights in ileum from the mice fed soy protein diet were significantly greater than those fed casein diet. There were evident ultrastructural differences in the liver cells between the mice fed the two diets. Many lipid droplets from the mice fed the casein diet were larger than those fed the soy protein diet. The maximum diameter of lipid droplet per liver cell in the soy protein diet group was smaller than that in the casein diet group (p < 0.01). These results suggest that soy protein and casein affect the ultrastructure of liver and the morphology of ileum in different ways.