Histopathology and cell culture characteristics of liver cells from grc- and grc+ rats given diethylnitrosamine.

The histopathological response and cell culture characteristics of liver cells from the R16 (grc-) strain of rats, which carries an MHC-linked deletion, were examined one week after a single intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg/kg body weight diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and were compared with the response of liver cells from wild type (grc+) rats. The DEN exposure induced hydropic/vacuolar changes in the parenchymal cells and a limited proliferation of oval cells in the periportal areas of the livers of both grc+ and grc- rats. Primary culture of collagenase-digested livers consisted of parenchymal, bile ductular and oval-related cells as determined by cell-specific immunohistochemistry. Subpassaged cells from grc+ rats exhibited oval cell ultrastructural morphology, inducible histochemical staining for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and DEN-associated onset of anchorage-independent growth. Primary cultures of liver cells from R16 rats consistently failed to form cell strains upon subpassage.