Changes in membrane fluidity during human liver development.

The physico-chemical properties of the hepatic plasma membrane during prenatal period of development and in adult human liver were studied. Fluorescence polarization studies using the lipid probe pyrene, clearly demonstrated a significant reduction in the membrane fluidity with liver maturation. Lipid analysis showed an age dependent reduction in lipid/protein ratio while there was an increase in membrane cholesterol throughout the prenatal period and in adult human liver which decreased the membrane fluidity. Hepatic plasma membrane from prenatal liver also showed a decrease in phosphatidyl choline/phosphatidyl ethanolamine ratio and an increase in sphingomyelin/phosphatidyl choline ratio. These results suggest that there is a gradual decrease in lipid content and membrane fluidity during the prenatal period of development which might regulate the differentiation of membrane associated function in human liver.