| Abstrakt: |
Morphological differentiation of hepatocytes is determined by the feeding pattern during prenatal life: endogenous (chick embryo utilizing egg yolk and white at the early stages and swallowing amniotic fluid with protein at later stages of embryogenesis) or placental (rat embryo receiving all nutrients via the placenta). In the chick, morphological differentiation of hepatocytes is completed by hatching, while in the rat it is completed by the 30th day of postnatal life. Daily ultrastructural analysis of chick and rat hepatocytes during prenatal development reveals morphologic equivalents for various functional states of the hepatocyte organelles involved in the production and secretion of bile and proteins. Ultrastructural and functional changes in these organelles occur in parallel, and only lipid inclusions are stored in the hepatocyte cytoplasm. Hepatocyte differentiation is stimulated by food digestion (digestive load). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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