The Location of Vitamin A-Storing Cells in Hepatic Fibrosis Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride

Recent reports indicate that chronic hypervitaminosis A in humans may be associated with perisinusoidal fibrosis in the liver. A prominent feature of excess vitamin A administration is the increased number of irregularly shaped, vacuolated cells in the spaces of Disse. These vitamin A-storing cells are known as Ito cells, lipid storing cells or lipocytes. Their precise function is not established, but their appearance and location suggest that they may also play the role of fibroblasts; their massive accumulation in hypervitaminosis A may thus be causally related to perisinusoidal fibrosis. Although we have been unsuccessful in producing perisinusoidal fibrosis experimentally with vitamin A alone, we elected to use the vitamin in conjunction with the fibrosis-inducing agent carbon tetrachloride (CC1 4 ) to clarify the relationship of these cells to newly formed collagen. Rats were divided into groups receiving (1) vitamin A and CC1 4 , (2) vitamin A alone and (3) CC1 4 alone, for periods up to four months.