The existence of cholestatic factor in the serum from a patient with liver cirrhosis

Abstract

When the blood serum from a patient with liver cirrhosis was fractionated by a Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and the certain fraction was injected into mesenteric vein of rats, a marked reduction of bile flow was seen. Similar results were obtained when peripheral lymphocytes from the patient were stimulated with HBs antigen or liver specific lipoprotein in vitro and the certain fraction which was fractionated with a Sephadex G-75 gel filtration was injected into mesenteric vein of rats. Histologically, a dilated bile canaliculus with the diminution of microvilli and increased vesicles around the dilated canaliculi were observed by an electron microscopy after injection of culture supernatant fraction into rats.
These results strongly suggest that not only the sensitized lymphocytes produce the cholestatic factor (factors) which causes the intrahepatic cholestasis, but also this factor involves significantly in the pathogenesis or intrahepatic cholestasis which observes in the patient with liver cirrhosis.