ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY OF MAMMALIAN LIVER WITH PERIODIC ACID METHENAMINE SILVER STAIN—BASEMENT MEMBRANE STRUCTURE and FIBROGENESIS IN SPACE OF DISSE

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Abstract
The author has studied the morphologic architecture of the basement membrane‐like structure wich is rarely seen in the space of Disse of the human liver. Special attention has been paid to the histochemical staining properties of the construction using the periodic acid methena‐mine silver (PAM) stain and the ruthenium red (RR) stain which are regarded as good methods for the demonstration of mucopolysaccharide. The former showed a high affinity to the materials such as collagen fibrils or basement membrane proper, while the latter Is effective to detect the more labile mucoprotein such as glycocalyx containing sia‐lomucin. The substance in the space of Disse could be defined to be usually composed of labile mucopolysaccharide materials reacting with ruthenium red stain. According to the PAM stain, the basement membrane‐like structure was selectively demonstrated, but it appeared never to be a constant feature as seen in the bile ductule, converting into fine filamentous, irregular mottled or diffuse amorphous architectures in the space of Disse. It might be concluded that the structure was not the basement membrane proper in the usual sense, and should be understood as an alternation of mucopolysaccharide content in the perisinusoidal spaces in a histochemical aspect. Interestingly the fat‐storing cell in the space of Disse and the fibroblast in the connective tissue constituents of the liver have common properties showing aggregates of fine granules positively impregnated by the PAM stain in their cytoplasmic processes. Moreover, the fine granules were related to the surrounding matured collagen fibrils with high intimacy. The author would like to define those granules as a precursor of collagen fibrils.