Histochemical demonstration of copper in LEC rat liver

Livers of LEC rats were histochemically stained for copper according to the modified Timm's method, which includes trichloroacetic acid (TCA) treatment. TCA pretreatment was effective in removing zinc and iron, leaving as the major metal in the liver. Hepatocytes in 3-month-old rats were stained intensely by the modified Timm's method, both in frozen sections and in paraffin-embedded specimens. The centrilobular hepatocytes were usually stained, but positive cells were also randomly distributed in the hepatic lobes, showing a mosaic pattern. The staining was intensified in 8- compared to 3-month-old LEC rats. In contrast hepatocytes from LEA rats, the normal counterpart of LEC rats, were faintly stained for copper. Proliferating cholangioles found in older LEC rats were shown to lack copper deposition, and hepatocellular carcinoma showed less copper deposits than the hepatocytes surrounding the tumor. The copper staining was augmented in livers of LEC rats subjected to copper-loading, but was less intense in the livers treated with D-penicillamine. The staining intensity under the various experimental conditions showed good correlation with the copper concentration. Lysosomal deposition of copper in hepatocytes was demonstrated by electron microscopic analysis for copper. Thus the modified Timm's method was shown to produce valuable results in demonstrating copper in LEC rat livers, providing important information for an understanding of the mechanism of copper deposition and hepatic disease of the animal.