Increased Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis with the Laparoscopical Hallmark of “Reddish patch”

Abstract

Abstract: The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthetic potency of hepatocytes in liver biopsy specimens was investgated in: 6 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) with a laparoscopical finding of a “reddish patch”, 5 patients with PBC without a “reddish patch”, 10 patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis with a typical “patchy liver” as seen on laparoscopy, 14 patients with cirrhosis of a viral origin with a laparoscopic “nodular liver”, and in 6 patients with gastric cancer without liver involvement (control subjects). The bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, a thymidine analogue) ‐anti‐BrdU method was used. The mean BrdU L. I. (±SE) of the PBC patients with a “reddish patch”, PBC patients without a “reddish patch”, patients with a “patchy liver”, patients with a “nodular liver” and of the control subjects was 3.5±0.6%, 0.5±0.1%, 1.3±0.3%, 1.1±0.3%, and 0.2±0.1% respectively. The BrdU L.I. of the PBC patients with a “reddish patch” was significantly greater than that of the PBC patients without a “reddish patch” (p>0.001) and greater than that of patients with a “patchy liver” or a “nodular liver” (p>0.001, respectively). It was the greatest in all of the benign liver diseases examined. Thus, the so‐called laparoscopical finding of a “reddish patch” in PBC may represent a marked regeneration of hepatocytes.