Previous studies
in mice with hypervitaminosis A have demonstrated that fat-storing cells
(hepatic stellate cells-HSCs) participate in schistosomal granuloma fibrogenesis.
The origin of such cells in portal areas, away from the Disse spaces, was
herein investigated. HSCs were identified in frozen sections of the liver
by means of Sudan III staining. They appeared as red-stained cells disposed
along the sinusoids of normal mice, but were never found within portal
spaces. However, in the chronically inflamed portal spaces of
Capillaria
hepatica
-infected mice, Sudan III-positive cells were frequently present
among leukocytes and fibroblast-like cells. Thus, there are no resident
HSCs in portal spaces, but their presence there in chronic inflammatory
processes indicates that they are able to migrate from peri-sinusoidal
areas in order to reach the portal areas.
