Control of the acute phase response. Demonstration of C-reactive protein synthesis and secretion by hepatocytes during acute inflammation in the rabbit.

To determine the cell of origin of C-reactive protein (CRP) and to cast light on the mechanisms leading to the acute phase response, we used an immunoenzymatic technique to visualize this protein in livers from rabbits at intervals after intramuscular injection of turpentine. CRP was detected only in hepatocytes. 8 h after turpentine injection, CRP was demonstrated in occasional periportal hepatocytes. With time, larger numbers of positive cells were detected successively in perilobular, midlobular, and centrilobular areas. On electron microscopy, CRP was detected in rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), and Golgi apparatus (GA). When colchicine was administered to inhibit cellular secretion of CRP, intensity of reaction and number of CRP-containing hepatocytes were substantially greater than without colchicine, but the sequence of intralobular distribution was similar. At peak serum response 38 h after turpentine injection, CRP could be demonstrated in most hepatocytes. Electron microscopic studies showed accumulation of CRP on membranes and lumina of RER, SER, GA, and in cytoplasmic vacuoles. These findings indicate that CRP is produced by progressively increasing numbers of hepatocytes after inflammatory stimulus and suggest that a mediator, acting initially in portal zones, is responsible for recruitment of cells to CRP production.