Histogenesis of hyperplasia and carcinomas of the liver arising around central veins in mice ingesting chlorinated hydrocarbons.

The development of hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions of parenchymal cells of the liver adjacent to central veins was observed in C3H mice ingesting the chlorinated hydrocarbons, dieldrin or aldrin, in the diet. Lesions could be followed from pericentral hyperplasia to areas of hyperplasia, nodules of hyperplasia, small hepatocellular carcinomas, and large well-developed carcinomas, occasionally with metastases. Sometimes pericentral hyperplasia was diffuse throughout most or all of one lobe of the liver. These hyperplastic cells collided to become one large nodule and also one large carcinoma. The carcinomas were well-differentiated or moderately well-differentiated and grew on transplantation to isologous hosts. Histologically, the hyperplastic cells adjacent to central veins were increased in size, frequently with double nuclei. Carcinoma cells varied in size and shape and were huge with large nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Similar hepatocellular carcinomas were seen previously with carbon tetrachloride, another organochlorine chemical.