Novel morphologic findings in alcoholic liver disease.
OBJECTIVE
To study light and electron microscopic changes in alcohol-liver disease (ALD) patients, and characterize the expression pattern of Kupffer and stellate cells, correlating changes with serum cytokine levels.


METHODS
Liver biopsies studied in 35 ALD patients were compared to 51 normal histology patients. Quantitation was done using immunochemistry for Kupffer cells and morphometry, electron microscopy for stellate cells. ELISA was used to measure serum cytokines in 80 controls and ALD patients.


RESULTS
Biopsies of ALD patients confirmed increased number of perisinusoidal, multivesicular, and stellate cells compared to controls. There was a significant increase in the number and activity of multivesicular stellate cells in ALD patients (p < 0.001). These changes were associated with significant increase in the degree of perisinusoidal collagenisation (p < 0.001). The number of Kupffer cells, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha), interleukins-6 (IL-6) and IL-12 levels, were also significantly higher in ALD patients than controls.


CONCLUSIONS
In non-cirrhotic ALD, stellate cells may be involved in lipid transport and a cytokine network may influence liver inflammation.
Cameron
R G
RG
Department of Pathology, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Neuman
M G
MG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged
D016207:Cytokines