Liver Mitotic Rates and Weights in Young, Rapidly Growing Rats after Serum Injection

Abstract

THE systems which seemingly demonstrate control of cell division in rat liver commonly involve change in the composition of the blood. For example, Stich and Florian¹ found that single injections of normal serum administered to partially hepatectomized rats inhibited mitosis, while serum from rats which had been partially hepatectomized stimulated mitosis following a single injection. Recently, Moya² reported that single injections of both normal and post-hepatectomy serum prepared from arterial blood inhibited mitosis in regenerating livers. Moreover, Smythe and Moore³ reported that weights of regenerating livers were decreased by repeated injections of normal plasma. These results, obtained in adult rats, raise the question of whether treatment with serum injections has the same effects on livers of young, rapidly growing rats.