Elastogenesis in the liver

It has been well established that Increase of elastic fibers Is a prominent feature In chronic liver diseases, especially in liver cirrhosis. Little is known, however, about the mechanism of the elastogenesis in liver tissue. As a result of histological examination of the pattern of elastic fiber formation in various kinds of liver diseases, it was concluded that elastogenesis in the liver tissue can be divided into two stages: first stage is proliferation of thin elastic fibers and second step Is remodeling of newly formed and preexistent elastic fibers. It seemed reasonable to conclude that the formation of thin elastic fibers was mainly related to proliferation of arteries and arterioles, from the observation of specimens, which were injected dye from the A. hepatlca. On the other hand, thick elastic fibers found in advanced liver cirrhosis, were supposed as the result of fusion and deformation of preexistent or newly formed thin elastic fibers. Chemical analysis of collagen and elastin of the liver tissues of various conditions showed that the ratio of elastin to collagen increased with the progress of liver fibrosis. These results suggested that elastic fibers in chronic liver diseases were not teleologlcally formed to some pathological condition, but were formed and accumulated as the result of some process.