Development of ultrastructural heterogeneity among hepatocytes in the mouse

Ultrastructural stereological analyses of periportal and centrilobular hepatocytes of newborn, 5- and 10-day-old, and adult male ddY mice were carried out to study the postnatal development of the morphologic heterogeneity among hepatocytes. In newborn animals, the periportal and centrilobular cells did not differ in the volume densities of the smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum; in the volume and numerical densities of the mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes, and lipid droplets; or in the shape (the axial ratio) of the mitochondria. In 5-day-old animals, the volume densities of the mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum were greater in periportal cells than centrilobular cells, and the volume density of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was greater in centrilobular cells than periportal cells. In 10-day-old animals, a further difference was seen in the numerical density of the mitochondria, which was greater in centrilobular cells than periportal cells. Adult hepatocytes showed also a difference in the axial ratio of the mitochondria, which was greater in centrilobular than periportal cells; there was no difference in the volume density of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. When the data were expressed as volume and number per hepatocyte, the patterns of sublobular distributions of these organelles differed from the patterns seen in the volume and numerical density data, mainly in adult animals. This difference was caused by the marked increase in hepatocyte volume between 10 days of age and adulthood, especially in centrilobular cells. The results show that, in general, the ultrastructural heterogeneity among hepatocytes, evident in adult animals, is not present in newborn animals but arises during postnatal development, and suggest the occurrence of a lobular gradient in postnatal development of hepatocyte functions.