ELECTRON MICROSOPIC STUDIES ON THE ISOLATED HEPATIC SINUSOIDAL CELLS OF RAT

Abstract

Morphological characteristics of the hepatic sinusoidal cells of rats, isolated by metrizamide density centrifugation and centrifugal elutriation, were studied by transmission and scanning electron microscopies (EM). The isolated Kupffer cells revealed irregular shaped nuclei and abundant lysosomes and autophasic vacuoles in the cytoplasm. Many slender and long processes on the cell surface by scanning EM were observed. Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum were scanty in the isolated endothelial cells. Sieve plate-like pores were seen in about 60% of the cells, but not others. On the scanning EM, short processes on the cell surface were coarsely seen. The isolated Ito cells were characterized by lipid droplets which vary in size and abundant slightly dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum. Many wavelike and undulated processes were seen by scanning EM. These results indicate that scanning EM is useful for the identification of the hepatic sinusoidal cells, as well as transmission EM.