[Animal experimental studies on liver morphology after intravenous administration of a fat emulsion]

In short infusion series run over a 5day period, a fat emulsion on the basis of soya oil with egg lecithin as emulsifier, has been applied to rabbits by the intravenous route in a dosage of 2 and 4 g/kg body-weight/day. The results changes to the liver morphology have been analysed histologically by light-microscope in a systematic manner; using standard intervals of one to fifteen weeks. The most conspicuous phenomenon of the changed liver morphology is a fatty degeneration of the Kupffer's cells of the liver, whose different degree of severity was determined semiquantitatively by determination of the so-called index of fatty degeneration. The loading of the reticulo-endothelial system (RES) of the liver is very heavy with the higher dose; it is lower with a dose of 2 g fat/kg body-weight. The histological changes recede only slowly. A simultaneous parenteral administration of carbohydrates did not result in any provable inferior loading of the RES.