CYTOLOGICAL STUDIES OF PLASMA ALBUMIN IN RAT LIVER

The presence of albumin in the parenchymal cells of the rat liver is demonstrated using the fluorescent antibody method. It is evident that there is no immunological difference between liver and blood albumin. The liver section is not uniformly stained by the fluorescent antibody and this may be due to the uneven distribution of albumin in the liver. A small percentage of the parenchymal cells presumably containing albumin are markedly fluorescent. The nuclei of these cells are not fluorescent implying the absence of albumin and this is consistent with the fact that nuclei are not involved in synthesis of albumin. The scattered distribution of brightly fluorescent cells confirms earlier observations that all parenchymal cells are not functionally alike, although they appear homogenous histologically. © 1968 Springer-Verlag.