Biomaterial Database

Hepatic sinusoidal cells in iron overload. Ultrastructural observations. 1978

T C Iancu, and L Lichterman, and H B Neustein

The ultrastructure of sinusoidal cells was studied in 18 liver biopsies from patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia. No conspicuous iron was seen in sinusoidal cells from biopsies obtained before transfusion therapy was initiated, although electron-dense iron was present in some parenchymal cells. Biopsies following the high transfusion regime showed progressive increase in the size and number of iron-containing lysosomes in both parenchymal and sinusoidal cells. This study confirms the view that transfusional iron is largely segregated in reticuloendothelial cells. Examination of stained and unstained sections showed the Kupffer cells and endothelial cells had different types of iron-containing lysosome that were also dissimilar from most iron-containing lysosomes seen in hepatocytes. The described cell-specific morphological features of the lysosomes facilitate the identification of various cells during iron overload. The importance of phagocytic sinusoidal cells during chronic iron overload is stressed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007501	Iron	A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN.	Iron-56,Iron 56
D007728	Kupffer Cells	Specialized phagocytic cells of the MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTE SYSTEM found on the luminal surface of the hepatic sinusoids. They filter bacteria and small foreign proteins out of the blood and dispose of worn out red blood cells.	Kupffer Cell,Cell, Kupffer,Cells, Kupffer
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008247	Lysosomes	A class of morphologically heterogeneous cytoplasmic particles in animal and plant tissues characterized by their content of hydrolytic enzymes and the structure-linked latency of these enzymes. The intracellular functions of lysosomes depend on their lytic potential. The single unit membrane of the lysosome acts as a barrier between the enzymes enclosed in the lysosome and the external substrate. The activity of the enzymes contained in lysosomes is limited or nil unless the vesicle in which they are enclosed is ruptured or undergoes MEMBRANE FUSION. (From Rieger et al., Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular, 5th ed).	Autolysosome,Autolysosomes,Lysosome
D008297	Male		Males
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004727	Endothelium	A layer of epithelium that lines the heart, blood vessels (ENDOTHELIUM, VASCULAR), lymph vessels (ENDOTHELIUM, LYMPHATIC), and the serous cavities of the body.	Endotheliums
D005260	Female		Females