Binucleated hepatocyte subpopulations in male and female rats fed with olive and sunflower oils
Abstract
The possible differences due to sex and diet on the percentage and cytomorphological features of the binucleated cells across the hepatic acinus are analyzed in this study. Stereological quantitative determinations were performed on males and females of two groups of rats fed either with olive or sunflower oil. The results indicate that binucleated hepatocytes only represent a scarce cell subpopulation within the hepatic acinus, being their mean values in males higher than in females in both groups of diet. In addition, these binucleated hepatocytes follow a characteristic pattern of distribution across the acinus, with a progressive decrease in number from the portal zone to central vein. The average cellular and nuclear areas are higher in binucleated hepatocytes than in mononucleated for both males and females in the two diet groups. According to the diet, binucleated hepatocytes show greater cellular and nuclear areas in the olive oil group than in the sunflower oil group. When these parameters are studied across the acinus, it is observed that the size of the cells is linked to the fat stored in the cytoplasm. No significant differences were found in the nuclear areas across the hepatic acinus.