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Periductal fibrosis and lipocytes (fat‐storing cells or ito cells) during biliary atresia in the lamprey
Author(s) -
Yamamoto Kazuhide,
Sargent Patricia A.,
Fisher Murray M.,
Youson John H.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840060111
Subject(s) - lamprey , cholangiocyte , biology , fibrosis , endoplasmic reticulum , metamorphosis , pathology , medicine , ultrastructure , bile duct , parenchyma , endocrinology , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , larva , botany , fishery
Transmission and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to follow the degeneration of bile ducts of lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus L.) during metamorphosis. The convoluted bile ducts of larval lampreys are surrounded by rich sinusoids, but this intimate biliovascular relationship is lost during metamorphosis because the bile duct degeneration is accompanied by the development of thick periductal fibrosis. Lipocytes, which are present not only in the parenchyma but also in the interstitial tissue of the liver, increase in number in the periductal fibrous tissue, and their processes are directly opposed to collagen fibrils. Fibrillar materials in the dilated cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum andthe nuclear envelope of lipocytes are believed to be excreted by exocytosis in a manner similar to such excretion by fibroblasts. The findings suggest that lipocytes are responsible for the periductal fibrosis during biliary atresia in lampreys. This animal might prove to be an interesting model in which to study the biology and fibrogenic potential of lipocytes.