Liver Regeneration in Experimental Carbon Tetrachloride Intoxication.

Abstract

Summary An autoradiographic technic employing tritiated thymidine was used to study liver regeneration in rats treated with a single oral dose of carbon tetrachloride. Results demonstrate that following toxic liver injury synthesis of desoxyribonucleic acid, indicating new cell formation, occurs chiefly in non-necrotic areas of the liver; the regenerative process is diffuse and involves the acinar, intermediate, centrilobular and periportal regions. The highest rate of regeneration is reached 36 to 72 hours following administration of hepatotoxin, when the number of labeled liver cell nuclei is increased more than 250 fold over control values; after 120 hours, the regenerative process is virtually completed and the histological and autoradiographic pattern returns to normal. Under conditions of this experiment, the presence of a plasma factor for liver regeneration could not be demonstrated.