Comparative morphofunctional analysis of rat hepatocyte cultures isolated from the normal and pathologically changed liver due to experimental toxic hepatitis

: The goal of the study was to examine the state of primary hepatocytes of rats with toxic hepatitis induced by combination of CCl4 and ethanol. Fluorescent immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that normal and pathologic hepatocytes in culture formed actin cytoskeleton, cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts. To investigate morphology and localization of mitochondria the hepatocytes were stained with Rhodamine 123. Glycogen and DNA contents in hepatocytes were determined by fluorescent cytophotometry during the lifetime of the culture. Cells were maintained for 5 days, and there were no changes in ploidy distribution observed. The mean ploidy was not changed too. Thus hepatocytes of different ploidy demonstrated similar survival rate. The glycogen content was 50% higher in experimental group compared to the control. The glycogen content decreased in control and cyrrotic hepatocytes after collagenase isolation. It has been found that the control hepatocytes accumulated glycogen within 3 days. On the contrary, the glycogen levels remained to be low in the pathologic hepatocytes.