Plasma Membrane Bleb Formation and Rupture: A Common Feature of Hepatocellular Injury

Plasma membrane blebbing, the development of blister-like or bubble-like protrusions on the cell surface, is an early morphological alteration of cell injury. During toxic, viral and hypoxic injury to hepatocytes, blebbing is a prominent and virtually universal phenomenon (vide infru). Information regarding blebbing is important to our understanding of the cell biology of liver injury and has many pathophysiological implications. Moreover, many new and recent developments have occurred in this area of hepatology in the past 10 yr. For these reasons, it is timely to summarize current knowledge regarding hepatocellular blebbing. Overall, we have emphasized those aspects of blebbing that are of particular interest to the hepatologist.