Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although there is much known about liver diseases, some aspects remain unclear, such as the nature of the differences between the diseases observed in newborn infants and those in adults. For example, how do newborns respond to duct epithelial cell injury? Do the stellate cells...

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Main Authors: Nelson Elias Mendes Gibelli, Uenis Tannuri, Evandro Sobroza de Mello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier España 2008-01-01
Series:Clinics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322008000500019
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author Nelson Elias Mendes Gibelli
Uenis Tannuri
Evandro Sobroza de Mello
author_facet Nelson Elias Mendes Gibelli
Uenis Tannuri
Evandro Sobroza de Mello
author_sort Nelson Elias Mendes Gibelli
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although there is much known about liver diseases, some aspects remain unclear, such as the nature of the differences between the diseases observed in newborn infants and those in adults. For example, how do newborns respond to duct epithelial cell injury? Do the stellate cells in newborns respond similarly to those in adults during biliary obstruction? METHODS: Ninety newborn Wistar rats aged six days, weighing 8.0 - 13.9 g each, and 90 adult rats weighing 199.7 - 357.0 g each, were submitted to bile duct ligation. After surgery, they were randomly divided and sacrificed on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th day post-bile duct ligation. Hepatic biopsies were obtained and immunohistochemical semi-quantification of desmin and α-SMA expression was performed in hepatic stellate cells and in myofibroblasts in the portal space, and between the portal space and the liver lobule. RESULTS: Desmin expression in the myofibroblast cells post-bile duct ligation was higher in young rats, reaching its peak level in a shorter time when compared to the adult animals. The differences between the groups for α-SMA expression were less significant than for desmin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that there is an increase in the number of collagen-producing myofibroblast cells in young animals, suggesting that there is more intense fibrosis in this population. This finding may explain why young animals with bile duct obstruction experience more intense portal fibrosis that is similar to the pathology observed in the livers of newborns with biliary atresia.
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spelling doaj.art-9333e1b7e1db4bcfb26acb2ca127eda32022-12-22T02:47:23ZengElsevier EspañaClinics1807-59321980-53222008-01-0163568969410.1590/S1807-59322008000500019Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult ratsNelson Elias Mendes GibelliUenis TannuriEvandro Sobroza de MelloBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although there is much known about liver diseases, some aspects remain unclear, such as the nature of the differences between the diseases observed in newborn infants and those in adults. For example, how do newborns respond to duct epithelial cell injury? Do the stellate cells in newborns respond similarly to those in adults during biliary obstruction? METHODS: Ninety newborn Wistar rats aged six days, weighing 8.0 - 13.9 g each, and 90 adult rats weighing 199.7 - 357.0 g each, were submitted to bile duct ligation. After surgery, they were randomly divided and sacrificed on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th day post-bile duct ligation. Hepatic biopsies were obtained and immunohistochemical semi-quantification of desmin and α-SMA expression was performed in hepatic stellate cells and in myofibroblasts in the portal space, and between the portal space and the liver lobule. RESULTS: Desmin expression in the myofibroblast cells post-bile duct ligation was higher in young rats, reaching its peak level in a shorter time when compared to the adult animals. The differences between the groups for α-SMA expression were less significant than for desmin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that there is an increase in the number of collagen-producing myofibroblast cells in young animals, suggesting that there is more intense fibrosis in this population. This finding may explain why young animals with bile duct obstruction experience more intense portal fibrosis that is similar to the pathology observed in the livers of newborns with biliary atresia.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322008000500019Biliary atresiaLiver fibrogenesisPediatric liver diseaseExperimental cholestasisPediatric disordersBiliary congenital disorders
spellingShingle Nelson Elias Mendes Gibelli
Uenis Tannuri
Evandro Sobroza de Mello
Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
Clinics
Biliary atresia
Liver fibrogenesis
Pediatric liver disease
Experimental cholestasis
Pediatric disorders
Biliary congenital disorders
title Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
title_full Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
title_fullStr Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
title_full_unstemmed Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
title_short Immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
title_sort immunohistochemical studies of stellate cells in experimental cholestasis in newborn and adult rats
topic Biliary atresia
Liver fibrogenesis
Pediatric liver disease
Experimental cholestasis
Pediatric disorders
Biliary congenital disorders
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322008000500019
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AT uenistannuri immunohistochemicalstudiesofstellatecellsinexperimentalcholestasisinnewbornandadultrats
AT evandrosobrozademello immunohistochemicalstudiesofstellatecellsinexperimentalcholestasisinnewbornandadultrats