Rapid development of large numbers of alpha-fetoprotein-containing "oval" cells in the liver of rats fed N-2-fluorenylacetamide in a choline-devoid diet.
Fischer rats, fed 0.05% w/w N-2-fluorenylacetamide in a choline-devoid diet for 2 weeks, develop a massive infiltration of the liver by small "oval" cells. This occurs rapidly one week after feeding the diet for two weeks. All rats fed choline-devoid diet die within 5 weeks, with massive oval cell infiltration of the liver. Although similar changes occur in rats fed N-2 fluorenylacetamide in a choline-supplemented diet, their degree is much less. In rats fed a choline-devoid diet without N-2-fluorenylacetamide, proliferation of hepatocytes, but not of oval cells, is observed. Because the carcinogen-enhancing effects of choline-devoid diets seem to exceed those of partial hepatectomy, such diets may work by causing changes distinct from those induced by partial hepatectomy. Many oval cells contain alpha-fetoprotein, and the rapid oval cell increase is associated with an exponential increase in serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration. These observations suggest that a cellular change, not an alteration of gene expression in parenchymal cells, is the primary cause of hyper-alphafetoproteinemia during the course of chemical carcinogenesis in rats.
D015073:2-Acetylaminofluorene / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D015073:2-Acetylaminofluorene; D002794:Choline