52 LIVER CELL HETEROGENEITY IN BILIARY ATRESIA CIRRHOSIS

Abstract

To evaluate whether hepatocytes functional heterogeneity persists in biliary cirrhosis, we measured the zonal distribution of Glucose 6 phosphatase (GP) and NADPH dehydrogenase (ND) activities in ten normal human livers and in livers from 10 patients with extra-hepatic biliary atresia (EHBA), using cytochemistry /microspectrophotometry. In normal human liver, GP & ND respective mean activities were 37.3 ± 5.9 & 32.8 ± 5.5 density units (d.u) in the periportal zone and 24.1 ± 6.3 & 47.9 ± 8.6 d.u. in the perivenular zone. In EHBA patients, GP and ND respective mean activities were 51.3 ± 7.1 & 37.1 ± 7.2 at the nodule periphery and 39.2 ± 9.2 & 44.0 ± 6.5 at the nodule centre. We conclude that liver cell heterogeneity persists in EHBA cirrhosis, with GP more active at the nodule periphery than at the nodule centre but ND more active at the nodule centre, on the contrary to what has been observed in animal CCI4 toxic cirrhosis. This zonation suggests that in EHBA, afferent vessels are located at the nodule periphery.