SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS

Oval cells are the progeny of facultative stem cells found in the periportal areas in response to liver injury in experimental animals and humans. The aims of this study were to describe the morphological, stereological and morphometric features of oval cells, and to compare them with those of bile...

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Main Authors: Abdul M Zaitoun, Christopher O Record, Hanan Al-Mardini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Slovenian Society for Stereology and Quantitative Image Analysis 2011-05-01
Series:Image Analysis and Stereology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ias-iss.org/ojs/IAS/article/view/664
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author Abdul M Zaitoun
Christopher O Record
Hanan Al-Mardini
author_facet Abdul M Zaitoun
Christopher O Record
Hanan Al-Mardini
author_sort Abdul M Zaitoun
collection DOAJ
description Oval cells are the progeny of facultative stem cells found in the periportal areas in response to liver injury in experimental animals and humans. The aims of this study were to describe the morphological, stereological and morphometric features of oval cells, and to compare them with those of bile duct cells and hepatocytes. It was also aimed to study the fate of oval cells by morphological and morphometric criteria. Rats were given thioacetamide to induce liver injury. The livers from experimental and control groups were processed routinely and stereological and morphometric analysis assessed using a computer image analysis system. Eight morphometric parameters were assessed in oval cells, bile duct cells and hepatocytes from control and experimental rats. Mitoses were observed in both oval cells and hepatocytes. Stereological area fraction analysis indicated that necrosis reached its maximum extent at 30 hours followed by regeneration and almost complete restoration of liver cell parenchyma at 132 hours. Oval cell proliferation reached a peak at 48-52 hours but was not apparent at 132 hours. Morphometric findings have shown increases in the nuclear diameter and nuclear area of oval cells with changes in the roundness and contours ratios of the nuclear membrane. It is concluded from this study that in thioacetamide treated rats, the liver responds to injury by bile ductal proliferation in the periportal areas which, accompanied by hepatocyte regeneration, leads to restoration of the hepatic parenchyma. At a subcellular morphological level the nuclei of oval cells showed a progressive change to a hepatocyte phenotype from that of a normal biliary cell, suggesting the differentiation of these cells into hepatocytes.
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spelling doaj.art-e8302199d46449efb9f976320c6422ef2022-12-22T01:44:14ZengSlovenian Society for Stereology and Quantitative Image AnalysisImage Analysis and Stereology1580-31391854-51652011-05-0120210511210.5566/ias.v20.p105-112636SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATSAbdul M ZaitounChristopher O RecordHanan Al-MardiniOval cells are the progeny of facultative stem cells found in the periportal areas in response to liver injury in experimental animals and humans. The aims of this study were to describe the morphological, stereological and morphometric features of oval cells, and to compare them with those of bile duct cells and hepatocytes. It was also aimed to study the fate of oval cells by morphological and morphometric criteria. Rats were given thioacetamide to induce liver injury. The livers from experimental and control groups were processed routinely and stereological and morphometric analysis assessed using a computer image analysis system. Eight morphometric parameters were assessed in oval cells, bile duct cells and hepatocytes from control and experimental rats. Mitoses were observed in both oval cells and hepatocytes. Stereological area fraction analysis indicated that necrosis reached its maximum extent at 30 hours followed by regeneration and almost complete restoration of liver cell parenchyma at 132 hours. Oval cell proliferation reached a peak at 48-52 hours but was not apparent at 132 hours. Morphometric findings have shown increases in the nuclear diameter and nuclear area of oval cells with changes in the roundness and contours ratios of the nuclear membrane. It is concluded from this study that in thioacetamide treated rats, the liver responds to injury by bile ductal proliferation in the periportal areas which, accompanied by hepatocyte regeneration, leads to restoration of the hepatic parenchyma. At a subcellular morphological level the nuclei of oval cells showed a progressive change to a hepatocyte phenotype from that of a normal biliary cell, suggesting the differentiation of these cells into hepatocytes.http://www.ias-iss.org/ojs/IAS/article/view/664Bile DuctsLiver RegenerationOval CellsStem CellThioacetamideToxicopathology
spellingShingle Abdul M Zaitoun
Christopher O Record
Hanan Al-Mardini
SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
Image Analysis and Stereology
Bile Ducts
Liver Regeneration
Oval Cells
Stem Cell
Thioacetamide
Toxicopathology
title SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
title_full SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
title_fullStr SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
title_full_unstemmed SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
title_short SEQUENTIAL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF OVAL CELL PROLIFERATION IN THIOACETAMIDE TREATED RATS
title_sort sequential quantitative analysis of oval cell proliferation in thioacetamide treated rats
topic Bile Ducts
Liver Regeneration
Oval Cells
Stem Cell
Thioacetamide
Toxicopathology
url http://www.ias-iss.org/ojs/IAS/article/view/664
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