A light and electron microscopic investigation of the hepatic parenchyma of the adult newt, <i>Notophthalmus viridescens</i>

Abstract

This light and electron microscopic study demonstrates that the liver of the adult newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, consists of a mass of hepatocytes interrupted by blood sinusoids which allow blood to percolate through the parenchyma. The plates separating adjacent sinusoids are usually two or more cells thick and the bile canaliculi lie between 2-6 neighboring cells. Fine structural characteristics of hepatocytes include abundant lipid and glycogen inclusions. Melanophores with developing melanosomes are situated throughout the hepatic parenchyma.