Effects of parenteral nutrition with lipids on the human liver. An electron-microscopic study. 1976

U J van Haelst, and R C Sengers

The ultrastructural findings in the Kupffer cells of a liver biopsy of a 5-week-old baby, who had received repeated i.v. administration of Intralipid (10%) in a dose of 20 ml/kg body weight/day for 12 days, are presented. Heterophagocytosis of free lipid droplets occurs by invagination of the Kupffer cell membrane. Large, solitary or conglomerated fat droplets surrounded by a membrane (lipophagosomes) are present within the hypertrophic and most active Kupffer cells. Small, round or elongated dark bodies (primary lysosomes) are linked with and/or seem to fuse with these lipophagosomes. In addition, smaller phagosomes almost completely surrounded by a dark small rim and a less electron-dense center probably represent (further stages of the lysosomal breakdown. The latter is also expressed by the condensation from the periphery towards the center of the original lipid droplets enclosed within the lysosomes. Angular inclusion bodies, build up of lipid remnants and a granular matrix of medium electron density, constitute far advanced stages of lysosomal digestion and represent the development or transformation of the phagocytosed lipids into lipogenous pigments. On the electron-microscopic level a distinction between lipofuscin granules and ceroid pigment can hardly be made at that stage. These pigment granules can be found in various amounts within the Kupffer cells and can stay there for a long time. This accumulation probably inhibits the clearance capacity of the cellular elements of the hepatic reticuloendothelial system. The hepatocytes and spaces of Disse seem not to be directly involved in the process of fat phagocytosis and breakdown as summarized above.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
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
D008062 Lipofuscin A naturally occurring lipid pigment with histochemical characteristics similar to ceroid. It accumulates in various normal tissues and apparently increases in quantity with age.
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
D008854 Microscopy, Electron Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen. Electron Microscopy
D010288 Parenteral Nutrition The administering of nutrients for assimilation and utilization by a patient who cannot maintain adequate nutrition by enteral feeding alone. Nutrients are administered by a route other than the alimentary canal (e.g., intravenously, subcutaneously). Intravenous Feeding,Nutrition, Parenteral,Parenteral Feeding,Feeding, Intravenous,Feeding, Parenteral,Feedings, Intravenous,Feedings, Parenteral,Intravenous Feedings,Parenteral Feedings
D010587 Phagocytosis The engulfing and degradation of microorganisms; other cells that are dead, dying, or pathogenic; and foreign particles by phagocytic cells (PHAGOCYTES). Phagocytoses
D002566 Ceroid A naturally occurring lipid pigment with histochemical characteristics similar to lipofuscin. It accumulates in various tissues in certain experimental and pathological conditions.
D004041 Dietary Fats Fats present in food, especially in animal products such as meat, meat products, butter, ghee. They are present in lower amounts in nuts, seeds, and avocados. Fats, Dietary,Dietary Fat,Fat, Dietary

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