Postnatal changes in the distribution of lipid droplets within the liver lobule of the mouse.

The changes in the distribution of lipid droplets in the liver lobule were studied during the postnatal development of the mouse. At birth, and 1 day after birth, lipid droplets were evenly distributed throughout the lobule. A slightly uneven distribution of the droplets, more in centrilobular areas, appeared 2 days after birth. After this the difference in the number of droplets between the cells of the centrilobular and periportal areas became progressively more marked reaching a maximum by 17 days of age, and then decreasing to the adult level between 21 and 24 days. Thus, heterogeneity among hepatocytes with respect to lipid content is not present in newborn mice but develops gradually during the postnatal development.