[Features of hepatocytes isolated from rats poisoned with N-nitrosomorpholine]

We have studied the behavior in culture of hepatocytes from NNM-intoxicated rats for one week. We have not seen any morphological difference with respect to the controls, but we have observed a longer survival time permitting a second culture from the primary one. As a possible explanation we suggest that NNM, after acting one week upon the hepatic parenchyma, induces some disdifferentiating mechanism of the hepatocytes that, although it has no morphological expression, allows these cells to have a longer survival time in in vitro cultures.