Morphological Aspects of Plasma Protein Synthesis and Secretion by the Hepatic Cells

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a review of morphological aspects of plasma protein synthesis and secretion by the hepatic cells. The aim of the review is to examine the following problems: (1) identification of the cells responsible for plasma protein synthesis—the problems of their specialization and location in the hepatic lobule, (2) production of several plasma proteins at a given time by the protein-synthesizing cells and possible interference by some plasma proteins in the production of others, (3) behavior of synthesizing cells in experimental and pathological conditions, and (4) arguments for the production of plasma proteins by cells outside the liver. Since the introduction of immunohistological methods, attempts to locate the PP-containing hepatocytes in the normal hepatic lobule have produced varied results. For instance, when IF and IPO were first used, random distribution of albumin-containing hepatocytes was observed by light microscopy in the hepatic lobule. The recent introduction of membrane-permeabilizing agents has remarkably improved the results obtained with immunohistochemical methods.