PHAGOCYTIC PROPERTIES DISPLAYED BY MOUSE HEPATOCYTES AFTER VIRUS-INDUCED DAMAGE OF SINUSOIDAL LINING

Frog virus 3 (FV 3) inoculated intravenously into mice damages sinusoidal cells and produces a decrease in the carbon uptake capacity of the liver. Histological and ultrastructural examinations have shown that in FV 3 infected animals part of the inoculated carbon is taken up by the hepatocytes and can be located inside cytoplasmic vesicles or dense bodies. The hepatocytes are also able to phagocyte latex particles of 312 nm in diameter. These observations demonstrate that once the Kupffer cells and the endothelial lining are damaged, hepatocytes can display phagocytic properties.