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Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2006; 12(28): 4546-4548
Published online Jul 28, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i28.4546
Conserved balance of hepatocyte nuclear DNA content in mononuclear and binuclear hepatocyte populations during the course of chronic viral hepatitis
Hidenori Toyoda, Takashi Kumada, Olivier Bregerie, Christian Brechot, Chantal Desdouets
Hidenori Toyoda, Takashi Kumada, Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Japan
Olivier Bregerie, Christian Brechot, Chantal Desdouets, Inserm U370-Pasteur Institute, CHU Necker, Paris, France
Correspondence to: Hidenori Toyoda, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, 4-86 Minaminokawa, Ogaki, Gifu, 503-8502, Japan. tkumada@he.mirai.ne.jp
Telephone: +81-584-813341 Fax: +81-584-755715
Received: February 20, 2006
Revised: March 8, 2006
Accepted: March 27, 2006
Published online: July 28, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To analyze the percentages of hepatocytes with increased nuclear DNA content, i.e., tetraploid (4n) and octoploid (8n) nuclei, and then compared mononuclear and binuclear hepatocyte populations.

METHODS: The percentages of mononuclear diploid (2n), 4n, and 8n hepatocytes and those of binuclear 2 × 2n, 2 × 4n, and 2 × 8n hepatocytes were determined with a method that can simultaneously measure hepatocyte nuclear DNA content and binuclearity in 62 patients with chronic hepatitis B or C. The percentage of 4n and 8n hepatocytes in the mononuclear hepatocyte population was compared with the percentage of 2 × 4n and 2 × 8n hepatocytes in the binuclear hepatocyte population.

RESULTS: The percentages of 4n and 8n hepatocytes in mononuclear hepatocytes and 2 × 4n and 2 × 8n hepatocytes in binuclear hepatocytes were similar, regardless of the activity or fibrosis grade of chronic hepatitis and regardless of the infecting virus.

CONCLUSION: The distribution of nuclear DNA content within mononuclear and binuclear hepatocyte populations was conserved during the course of chronic viral hepatitis.

Keywords: Chronic viral hepatitis; Hepatocyte binuclearity; Hepatocyte ploidy; Nuclear DNA content