QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF GLYCOGEN-CONTENT IN HEPATOCYTES OF PORTAL AND CENTRAL LOBULE ZONES OF NORMAL HUMAN LIVER AND IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS OF DIFFERENT ETIOLOGY

Glycogen content was determined in hepatocytes of different lobule zon es of the normal human liver (23 patients without any liver pathology) and the liver of patients with chronic viral B hepatitis (30 patients ) and chronic alcohol hepatitis (28 patients). All the patients were m ales and aged between 17-50 years. Quantitative analysis of the glycog en content in hepatocytes of portal and central lobule zones was carri ed out in sections of the human liver (material of punctional biopsies ) stained with PAS-reaction. The measurements were carried out using a n image analyser 'Magiscan' which allows combined cytophotometric anal ysis of a substance in cells and determination of the cell localizatio n in tissue. The results showed significant differences of the glycoge n content in different lobule zones in the normal liver and in the liv er in chronic viral and alcohol hepatitis. Ratios of glycogen content in hepatocytes of the portal and the central zones of liver lobule wer e 1.128 +/- 0.004 and 1.061 +/- 0.003 in normal human liver, and liver of patients with chronic viral hepatitis respectively, i.e. the glyco gen content in hepatocytes of the portal lobule zone was much higher t han in the central lobule zone in the normal liver and in the liver of patients with chronic viral B hepatitis. The ratio in patients with c hronic alcohol hepatitis was less than 1.0 (0.930 +/- 0.003), i.e. a s ignificantly higher glycogen content was found in hepatocytes of the c entral liver lobule zone. Possible mechanisms of this phenomenon are d iscussed. Thus, the pattern of the glycogen content in hepatocytes of different lobule zones can be used as an indicator of etiology of chro nic hepatitis.