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AIM:To investigate whether hepatic progenitor cells(HPC),that reveal the features of oval cells in rodents and smallepithelial cells(SEC)in certain human liver disease,werealso found in human liver cirrhosis(HLC).METHODS:Surgical liver specimens from 20 cases of hepatitisB virus-positive HLC(15 cases containing hepatocellularcarcinoma)were investigated by light microscopicimmunohistochemistry(LM-IHC).Among them specimensfrom 15 cases were investigated by electron microscopy(EM)and those from 5 cases by immunofluorencence confocallaser scanning microscopy(ICLSM).Antibodies againstcytokeratin 7 and albumin were used and single and/ordouble labelling were performed respectively.RESULTS:LM-IHC showed that at the margins of regeneratingnodules and in the fibrous septae,a small number of cellsin the proliferating bile ductules were positive for CK7 andalbumin.At the EM level these HPC were morphologicallysimilar to the SEC described previously,and also similar tothe oval cells seen in experimental hepatocarcinogenesis.They were characterized by their small size,oval shape,ahigh nucleus/cytoplasm ratio,a low organelle content incytoplasm,and existence of tonofilaments and intercellularjunctions.ICLSM revealed that HPC expressed both cytokeratin7 and albumin.CONCLUSION:HPC with ultrastructural and immunophenotypicalfeatures of oval cells,i.e.,hepatic stem cell-like cells asnoted in other liver diseases,were found in HLC.Thesefindings further support the hypothesis that bipotent hepaticstem cells,that may give rise to biliary epithelial cells andhepatocytes,exist in human livers.
AIM: To investigate whether hepatic progenitor cells (HPC), that reveal the features of oval cells in rodents and smallepithelial cells (SEC) in certain human liver disease, were found in human liver cirrhosis (HLC). METHODS: Surgical liver specimens from 20 cases of hepatitis B virus-positive HLC (15 cases containing hepatocellular carcinoma) were investigated by light microscopic immunohistochemistry (LM-IHC). Ammong their specimens from 15 cases were investigated by electron microscopy (EM) and those from 5 cases by immunofluorescence confocallaser scanning microscopy (ICLSM) . Antibodies againstcytokeratin 7 and albumin were used and single and / or double labelling were performed respectively .RESULTS: LM-IHC showed that at the margins of regeneratingnodules and in the fibrous septae, a small number of cellsin the proliferating bile ductules were positive for CK7 and albumin .At the EM level these HPC were morphologicallysimilar to the SEC described previously, and also similar tothe oval cells seen in experi mental hepatocarcinogenesis. They were characterized by their small size, oval shape, ahigh nucleus / cytoplasm ratio, a low organelle content incytoplasm, and existence of tonofilaments and intercellular junctions. ICLSM revealed that HPC expressed both cytokeratin 7 and albumin. CONCLUSION: HPC with ultrastructural and immunophenotypical features of oval cells, ie, hepatic stem cell-like cells as noted in other liver diseases, were found in HLC. These seindings further support the hypothesis that bipotent hepatometem cells, that may give rise to biliary epithelial cells and hepatocytes, exist in human livers.