Refers the increase in size of cells causing an increase the size of the organ.
Organs that are hypertrophied have an increase in the size of cells but not in the number of cells.
Cells undergo an increase in structural components.
Cells with the ability the undergo division may respond to stressful stimuli by undergoing hyperplasia and hypertrophy.
Non dividing cells respond to stressful stimuli by hypertrophy.
May be physiologic or pathologic.
During this process contractile proteins may switch from adult to fetal forms such as α-myosin heavy chain replacement by the ß form leading to decreased myosin adenosine triphosphatase activity with slower and energy sparing contractions in the process of muscle hypertrophy.
Some genes expressed in early development can be re-expressed in cells undergoing hypertrophic stress, such as the gene for atrial natriuretic factor.