Method for determining whether the number of hepatocytes in rat liver is increased after treatment with the peroxisome proliferator gemfibrozil.
A histological method has been developed for determining the absolute numbers of rodent hepatocytes after treatment with the hypolipodemic drug gemfibrozil. It can be applied to distinguish between the enlargement of the liver that commonly occurs in rodents after treatment with chemicals, due to changes in the size of cells (hypertrophy), rather than an increase in the number of cells caused by cell division (hyperplasia). In the case of gemfibrozil the liver enlargement was found to be partly due to hypertrophy and partly to hyperplasia. The induction of hyperplasia can be associated with an increased risk of eventual liver tumour formation, and the distinction of hypertrophy from hyperplasia using a purely histological method, for the determination of increases in hepatocyte cell numbers, will be useful in the assessment of compounds which cause liver enlargement that could precede neoplasia.
Carthew
P
P
MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, UK.
Maronpot
R R
RR
Foley
J F
JF
Edwards
R E
RE
Nolan
B M
BM
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D015248:Gemfibrozil / Q000633:toxicity*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008830:Microbodies / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D015248:Gemfibrozil