Table 5.
Accumulation of Putative Progenitor Cells According to Fibrosis Stage in Patients with NAFLD and ALD
| Fibrosis grade | Mean oval cells NAFLD and ALD | Mean intermediate hepatocytes NAFLD and ALD | NAFLD oval cells | NAFLD intermediate hepatocyte-like cells | ALD oval cells | ALD intermediate hepatocyte-like cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 13.5 (5.9) | 0.8 (1.5) | 15.8 (4.5) | 1.5 (2.1) | 11.1 (7.7) | 0.1 (0.1) |
| 1 | 20.3 (22.6) | 0.9 (1.4) | 13.6 | 3 | 22.5 (27.1)* | 0.2 (0.3) |
| 2 | 18 (14.4) | 2.8 (4.7) | 14.3 (6.6) | 1.3 (1.9) | 29.1 (26.7)* | 7.2 (8.2)* |
| 3 | 32 (26.4)* | 24.8 (32.5)* | 11.2 (3.9) | 1.4 (0.2) | 38.3 (26.9)* | 30.6 (34.1)* |
| 4 | 92.9 (34.1)* | 46 (22.4)* | 150.2* | 21.6 (8.4)* | 86 (29)* | 48.7 (22)* |
Immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate putative progenitor cells in human liver biopsies. The numbers of oval cells and intermediate hepatocytes were counted in five fields under ×400 magnification. Results are mean (SD) data from patients at each stage of the disease.
*P < 0.05 versus stage 0 (no fibrosis) for the same disease.