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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
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Primary Endodermal Epithelial Cell Culture from the Yolk Sac Membrane of Japanese Quail Embryos
Published on: March 10, 2016
Uptake behavior of embryonic chick liver cells
Miharu Kanai1, Yoshio Murata, Damon C Herbert
1Department of Functional Morphology, Nagoya City University, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan. miharu@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)
|June 2, 2007
Summary
Liver cells show selective uptake of foreign substances during chick development. Lecithin coating can enhance delivery to parenchymal cells, suggesting potential therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Hepatology
Background:
- Liver cell development involves complex differentiation processes.
- Understanding selective uptake mechanisms is crucial for liver function and drug delivery.
- Phagocytic activity in developing liver cells is not fully characterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the selective uptake capacity of chick liver cells, specifically parenchymal and perisinusoidal stellate cells.
- To examine the role of lecithin coating on particle uptake during liver development.
- To assess the potential of lecithin-coated particles for targeted delivery to liver cells.
Main Methods:
- Ultrastructural examination of chick liver development (8-18 days incubation).
- Injection of 240-nm lecithin-coated or noncoated beads into the extraembryonic circulation.
- Immunocytochemistry to identify desmin-positive perisinusoidal stellate cells.
Main Results:
- Perisinusoidal stellate cells selectively took up noncoated beads via cytoplasmic projections.
- Parenchymal cells incorporated coated beads that crossed the endothelium, indicating limited phagocytic capacity.
- Lecithin coating suppressed bead uptake by macrophages (Kupffer cells, intraluminal macrophages).
Conclusions:
- Phagocytic activity in developing liver cells is transient and developmental.
- Lecithin coating of particles can modulate uptake by different liver cell types.
- Lecithin coating may be a strategy for delivering large substances to parenchymal cells.
