Immunohistochemical Aspects of Ito and Kupffer Cells in the Liver of Domesticated and Wild Ruminants

Valentina Carollo, Alessia Di Giancamillo, Francesca Vitari, Rainer Schneider, Cinzia Domeneghini

Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.

DOI: 10.4236/ojvm.2012.23022                

Abstract

The mammalian liver is a morphologically and functionally complex organ, made up of not only of the largely predominant parenchymal cells (hepatocytes) but also non-parenchymal cells. Although there are less non-parenchymal cells than hepatocytes, they nevertheless play an important role in regulating many hepatocyte functions, as well as in the immunology of the liver. We investigated the structural aspects of the liver and the morpho-functional characteristics of Ito and Kupffer cells in two domesticated ruminant species (cattle and goat) in comparison with four wild ruminant species living in captivity in a zoo in northern Italy. The liver specimens were studied using histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. The liver parenchyma was structurally normal. Immunohistochemistry was performed for desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, lysozyme, CD 68 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). In all the studied ruminants, Ito cells reacted with desmin and vimentin antibodies, Kupffer cells were evidenced only with lysozyme-immunopositivity, and both displayed a characteristic distribution in the hepatic lobular/acinar structure. The results obtained, not only contribute to the knowledge of ruminant wild species, but also help to define a normal structure reference for the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.

Keywords

Liver Non-Parenchymal Cells; Captive Wild Ruminants; Histology; Histochemistry

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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