Hepatic stellate cells (Ito cells) in veno-occlusive disease of the liver after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

• Published in: Histopathology Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 66 - 70
• Main Authors: SATO, Y, ASADA, Y, HARA, S, MARUTSUKA, K, TAMURA, K, HAYASHI, T, SUMIYOSHI, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, U.K. and Cambridge, USA Blackwell Science Ltd 01.01.1999; Blackwell
• Subjects: Actins - metabolism; Adult; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Child; Female; hepatic stellate cells; hepatic veno-occlusive disease; Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease - metabolism; Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease - pathology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Liver - cytology; Liver - metabolism; Liver - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; α-smooth muscle actin; Human; Immunohistochemistry; Venoocclusive disease; Pathogenesis; Liver; Cardiovascular disease; Hepatic disease; Transplantation; Activation; Stellate cell; Homotransplantation; Vascular disease; Pathology; Actin; Bone marrow; Digestive diseases
• ISSN: 0309-0167; 1365-2559
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2559.1999.00569.x

Aims To evaluate the role of activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in hepatic veno‐occlusive disease (VOD) after bone marrow transcription (BMT), we studied the distribution and area of activated HSCs by immunohistochemistry for α‐smooth muscle actin (SMA). Methods and results We examined the liver of seven autopsy cases with hepatic VOD or without VOD after allogeneic BMT and five autopsy cases without liver disease as a control both microscopically and immunohistochemically. In normal liver tissues, SMA‐positive cells were observed around the central veins, while they were more frequently noted along the sinusoidal walls as well as around the central veins in liver tissues with or without VOD after BMT. The area of activated HSCs increased significantly in zones 1 and 2, and more prominently in zone 3 of the liver tissues after BMT than normal liver tissues, and was much larger in zone 3 of liver tissues with VOD. The activated HSCs were immunohistochemically negative for the regulatory contractile proteins (heavy caldesmon and calponin). Conclusions These results indicated that the activated HSCs may play an important role in sinusoidal fibrosis and luminal narrowing or occlusion of the central veins in VOD after BMT.