title: Apoptotic bodies in a murine model of alcoholic liver disease: reversibility of ethanol-induced changes.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol exposure on the location and number of apoptotic bodies in murine liver. Livers from 21 control mice were compared with those of 41 animals exposed to ethanol vapour by inhalation for up to 23 days. In the control livers, apoptotic bodies were identified in association with 36 per cent of the terminal hepatic venules examined and 88 per cent of these bodies were located in the first two rows of perivenular hepatocytes. By comparison, in the ethanol-exposed group, apoptotic bodies were observed in association with 72 per cent of the terminal hepatic venules examined and more were found further from them. This increase in the number of apoptotic bodies was shown to depend on the duration of ethanol exposure and, furthermore, the effects of ethanol were shown to be completely reversed by a period of abstinence. These results indicate that ethanol exposure has time-dependent, reversible effects on both the location and the number of apoptotic bodies in murine liver. This extends knowledge gained from previous work on rat livers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, U.K.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goldin
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wickramasinghe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D014699:Venules / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol