title: Histochemical properties of vascular and sinusoidal endothelial cells in liver diseases.
abstract: Liver biopsy specimens with or without liver diseases were examined immunohistochemically to determine the distribution of endothelial cell markers, factor VIII-related antigen (FVIII-RAg). Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I) lectin and PAL-E. We also investigated the localization of laminin, a component of the basement membrane. In normal livers, FVIII-RAg, UEA-I and laminin were negative in sinusoidal endothelial cells, but positive in blood vascular endothelia of the portal area. The antigen detected by PAL-E was distributed in venous endothelial cells. PAL-E did not label endothelial cells of the artery. In the lobule, immunoreactivity with PAL-E was weakly detected only in some sinusoids of the periportal area. In chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, FVIII-RAg and UEA-I stained endothelial cells of neovasculatures in the enlarged portal areas of the fibrous septum surrounding pseudolobules. Some sinusoidal endothelial cells in cirrhotic livers were reactive to UEA-I and FVIII-RAg, whereas PAL-E-positive cells were found rarely in the pseudolobules. In carcinomatous sinusoidal endothelial cells, FVIII-RAg, UEA-I and PAL-E were strongly stained. Laminin underlay these carcinomatous sinusoids. These suggest capillarization of sinusoids in hepatocellular carcinoma. The histochemical approach using endothelial cell markers could be a practical tool in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Urano
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000737:chemistry; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007797:Laminin / Q000737:chemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015415:Biomarkers; D007797:Laminin; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; C036850:Ulex europaeus lectins; D014841:von Willebrand Factor