Biochemical mechanisms and morphological selectivity in hepatotoxicity: studies in cultures of hepatic-parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells.

Primary cultures of rat-liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells have been used to study some of the factors influencing the selective injury that can be caused in vivo by the direct-acting hepatotoxins beryllium, cadmium, ricin and modeccin to either liver-parenchymal or non-parenchymal cells. The studies on beryllium and cadmium compounds show that it is necessary to consider the chemical species generated in the culture medium, since particulate or colloidal forms are taken up predominantly by non-parenchymal cells whereas soluble forms more readily enter parenchymal cells. The studies with the glycoproteins ricin and modeccin illustrate the importance in their selective cell toxicity of specific membrane-recognition processes present in liver cells, particularly uptake in non-parenchymal cells through interactions with terminal mannose oligosaccharides in the toxins.