[Sensitivity of hepatocytes to the effect of factors stimulating and suppressing cell proliferation in hepatocarcinogenesis].

Sensitivity of hepatocytes to the proliferative stimulus (partial hepatectomy) and mitoinhibitory effect of carcinogen (toxic dose after operation) was studied during hepatic carcinogenesis induced by the chronic administration of diethylnitrosamine. At early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis (4-6 weeks of carcinogen treatment) in the rat liver tissue there appears and then increases a subpopulation of hepatocytes insensible to proliferation mediators. The cell number in this subpopulation essentially increased in the period preceding the development of microscopically detected neoplastic nodules.