Metabolic heterogeneity of hepatocytes across the liver acinus.

Periportal hepatocytes around the afferent vessels and perivenous hepatocytes around the efferent vessels of the liver acinus exhibit different metabolic capacities and subcellular structures. This observation led to the concept of the metabolic zonation of the liver acinus. Oxidative energy metabolism, gluconeogenesis, urea synthesis, bile formation and protective metabolism are catalyzed mainly in the periportal zone; glycolysis linked to liponeogenesis, glutamine synthesis and xenobiotic metabolism are predominant in the perivenous zone. This zonation is dynamic rather than static. Zonation develops gradually, depending on perinatal changes of the hepatic circulation and on postnatal alterations of the supply with energy substrates. Zonation also is modulated during puberty. Moreover, adaptation to longer-lasting physiological and pathological alterations occurs as observed during starvation and refeeding, diabetes and regeneration after partial hepatectomy or zonal necrosis. Periportal to perivenous gradients of oxygen, hormones and metabolites, as well as zonal differences in the hepatic innervation, seem to be responsible for the heterogeneous gene expression within the liver acinus.