Quantitive Analysis of Extracellular Matrix Commponents in Liver Cirrhosis and Its Significance

Naoki Sato, Yuichi Hatakeyama, Wataru Igarasi, Toshiyuki Ono, Yoshihisa Koyama, Norio Inoue, Atsuo Tsuchiya and Rikiya Abe^*

The Second Department of Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine
^*Ohara Research Institute, Ohara General Hospital

We conducted an experimental study investigating the significance of the quantitive analysis of extracellular matrix (ECM) that accumulates in the liver as hepatic fibrosis after partial hepatectomy for liver cirrhosis. Two groups of 5-wk-old male Wistar rats (10 to 40/group) were treated for 10 wks by weekly intraperitoneal administration of thioacetamide (200 mg/kg, 3 times/wk) or saline. All rats then underwent 70% hepatectomy under pentobarbital anesthesia. The expression of laminin, fibronectin, types I, III and IV collagen were detected by immunohistochemical staining using the resected liver tissue, and were quantitated using automatic image analysis. Hepatic regeneration activity was determined at 24 and 48 hours after partial hepatectomy by means of 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporated into the DNA. In laminin, type III collagen and type IV collagen, a significant inverse correlation was found between the measured result and the DNA synthesis in all rats: r=-0.497, r=-0.511, r=-0.481 respectively (p<0.05) at 24 hours after partial hepatectomy, and r=-0.559, r=-0.444, r=-0.375 respectively (p<0.05) at 48 hours after partial hepatectomy. Accordingly, we conclude that preoperative quantitation of laminin, type III collagen, and type IV collagen is useful as an index to the hepatic regeneration activity after partial hepatectomy for liver cirrhosis.

Key words
extracellular matrix, liver cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis, liver regeneration

Reprint requests
Naoki Sato The Second Department of Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, 960-1247 JAPAN

Accepted
March 31, 1999

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