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A hepatotoxin (Gr., hepato = liver) is a toxic chemical substance that damages the liver.. It can be a side-effect, but hepatotoxins are also found naturally, such as microcystins and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or in laboratory environments, such as carbon tetrachloride, or far more pervasively in the form of ethanol (drinking alcohol).
Hepatotoxicity and drug-induced liver injury also account for a substantial number of compound failures, highlighting the need for toxicity prediction models (e.g. DTI), [2] and drug screening assays, such as stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells, that are capable of detecting toxicity early in the drug development process. [3]
The drainage of the intestinal venous blood into the liver requires efficient detoxification of miscellaneous absorbed substances to maintain homeostasis and protect the body against ingested toxins. [citation needed] One of the detoxifying functions of hepatocytes is to modify ammonia into urea for excretion. [citation needed]
The liver plays a vital role in many metabolic processes in the body including protein synthesis, detoxification, nutrient storage (such as glycogen), platelet production and clearance of bilirubin. With progressive liver damage; hepatocyte death and replacement of functional liver tissue with fibrosis in cirrhosis, these processes are disrupted.
Liver regeneration is the process by which the liver is able to replace damaged or lost liver tissue. The liver is the only visceral organ with the capacity to regenerate. [1] [2] The liver can regenerate after partial hepatectomy or injury due to hepatotoxic agents such as certain medications, toxins, or chemicals. [3]
Histologically speaking, hepatocytes have specific characteristics. Their nuclei are large and spheroidal, occupying the center of the cell. There is at least one nucleolus in each nucleus. In the adult liver, most of the cells are binucleated, and most of the hepatocytes are tetraploid, which means that they have four times the amount of ...
Histopathology of a ballooning hepatocyte.png, H&E stain. Ballooning degeneration centre-left and centre-right. H&E stain. A Councilman body can also be seen in the upper-right of the section. In histo pathology, ballooning degeneration, formally ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, is a form of liver parenchymal cell (i.e. hepatocyte) death.
Ballooning degeneration – hepatocytes in the setting of alcoholic change often swell up with excess fat, water and protein; normally these proteins are exported into the bloodstream. Accompanied with ballooning, there is necrotic damage. The swelling is capable of blocking nearby biliary ducts, leading to diffuse cholestasis. [6]