Intracytoplasmic hyaline globules in hepatocyte of stranded cetacean: what does that mean?

Abstract

Eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions baye been described in many natural and experimentally iudrced diseases and in several species. These diseases include neoplasias, intoxications, infectious agents, etc (Jubb et aI.,1993). In man, alfa-l-antihypsin (a-l-AT) is, among others, a positive acute phase reactant and an efficient inhibitor of serine . ,proteases;gedminantly,-leucocyte:elastase,-,which is-:reloased by idlæmation (Yurds.el øl;,'1968), Acute pbase proteins are associated with acute and chronic inflammatiors, bacterial, viral and cefain parasitic infection (Propst er al., 1994). The a-l-AT deficiency (a hereditary condition) results in the presence of faintly eosinophilic, PAS positive cytoplasmic droplets in hepatocytes. Sevelius et al., (1994) demonshated globular a-l-AT inclusions in hepatocytes endoplasmic reticulum of dogs associated with ch¡onic hepatitis, cirrosis, and in only one case with cholangiohepatitis. ,In this commr¡nication, we demonstrate immuno-histochemically the presence of a-l-antritypsin - in cytoplasmie globules inhepatæytes,of stranded.cetaceans;-belongingto diffsrent species.