Differentiation of oval cells into duct-like cells in preneoplastic liver of rats placed on a choline-deficient diet supplemented with ethionine

Feeding male Wistar rats a choline-deficient diet containing 0.07% DL-ethionine (CDE diet) for up to 5 weks results in the production of two distinct non-parenchymal cell populations, oval and duct-like cells. These cells can undergo replication and display different patterns of expression of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and pyruvate kinases (PKs). Oval cells were first detected around the periportal region after 2 weeks. Duct-like structures first appearred as isolated ducts in the parenchymal region at 2 weeks and were easily detected after 2.5 weeks