Abstract
In the liver of male rats which were administered D-galactosamine-HCL (350mg/kg)for 4 weeks on alternate days, the focal necrosis in liver lobules, the proliferation of Kupffer cells as well as the periportal inflammation and ductular proliferation in portal tracts were prominent, but the periportal fibrosis was not recognized. Histochemical observations on the above liver tissues revealed that the increased activity of y-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GPT) was observed in the canalicular membrane of periportal parenchymal cells, in the epithelium of bile ducts and ductules, and in some inflammatory cells within periportal fields. The biochemical determination of the activity of γ-GPT in the plasma and in the hepatic tissue of rats demonstrated that it was significantly increased after D-glactosamine-HCl administration. In the histochemical study on biopsy specimens of patients with chronic hepatitis who showed an elevated serum γ-GPT activity, the localization of γ-GPT was found to be similar to that seen in the liver of rats which were administered D-galactosamine-HCl. From these findings, it is concluded that the serum γ-GTP activity in patients with chronic hepatitis probably reflects the degree of the inflammatory process in the liver.
