Change in morphometric parameters in silver-stained nucleoli from hepatocytes of rats with liver cirrhosis and during rehabilitation from it]

Silver-stained nucleoli of rat hepatocytes were studied in norm, in liver cirrhosis produced by CCl4 poisoning and after cessation of the poisoning. Morphometric parameters of nucleoli were measured using a Videotest computer image analyser. Under cirrhosis the mean number of nucleoli per nucleus was determined to exceed their normal number by 1.27 times. The total volume of nucleoli in the nucleus also exceeded the normal level (by 1.15 times). 3 months after the end of CCl4-poisoning, these parameters decreased almost to normal values. A statistically significant correlation was revealed between the number of nucleoli and their total volume (0.881). Changes of the parameters also correlated with the total protein content in the hepatocytes. Possible reasons for this correlation are discussed. The ratio of the number of chromosomal NORs to the mean number of nucleoli in the nucleus is proposed to be used as a feature for comparative analysis of functional status of nucleoli in the nuclei of different ploidy and in cells of different animal species.