The “fat-storing cell” discovered in the liver by ITO (1951) has been considered as specific to this organ. In the present study, the three light microscopic criteria of the cell, i. e., (1) occurrence of multilocular fat droplets in Sudan III staining, (2) characteristic fluorescence for the occurrence of vitamin A in the cell, (3) stainability in Kupffer's gold impregnation, were examined in the liver and other organs of the rat. Cells filling all these three criteria were found in the lamina propria of the stomach and small intestine, in the subpleural and perivascular connective tissue and alveolar septa of the lung, and in the red marrow of the spleen. All these cells emit markedly increased fluorescence for vitamin A after this vitamin has been administered to the animal. Sudanophilic cells of the same morphological features, though not confirmed by fluorescence and gold impregnation as yet, were demonstrated also in the lymph nodes, thymus, bone marrow and the sites of lymphocyte infiltration in the gut, trachea and liver.The present study indicates that cells either identical with or closely related to the Ito cells of the liver are distributed widely in the tissues of mesenchymal origin, especially in the reticular tissues. Discussion was made concerning the possible role of this vitamin A uptake cell in the organism. This paper also preliminarily reports the wide distribution of the same cells in the human body.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Kusumoto et al. (1977) studied this question.