The perisinusoidal space (or space of Disse) is a location in the
liver between a
hepatocyte and a
sinusoid
A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a mathematical curve defined in terms of the ''sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a smooth periodic function. It occurs often in ma ...
. It contains the
blood plasma.
Microvilli
Microvilli (singular: microvillus) are microscopic cellular membrane protrusions that increase the surface area for diffusion and minimize any increase in volume, and are involved in a wide variety of functions, including absorption, secretion, ...
of hepatocytes extend into this space, allowing proteins and other
plasma
Plasma or plasm may refer to:
Science
* Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter
* Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral
* Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics
Biology
* Blood pla ...
components from the sinusoids to be absorbed by the hepatocytes. Fenestration and discontinuity of the endothelium facilitates this transport.
This space may be obliterated in
liver disease, leading to decreased uptake by hepatocytes of nutrients and wastes such as
bilirubin
Bilirubin (BR) (Latin for "red bile") is a red-orange compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates. This catabolism is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the ...
.
The perisinusoidal space also contains
hepatic stellate cells (also known as ''Ito cells''), which store
fat or
fat soluble vitamins including
vitamin A). A variety of insults that cause
inflammation can result in the cells transforming into
myofibroblasts, resulting in
collagen
Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix found in the body's various connective tissues. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whole ...
production,
fibrosis, and
cirrhosis.
The Space of Disse was named after German
anatomist Joseph Disse (1852–1912).
References
External links
*
* - "Ultrastructure of the Cell: hepatocytes and sinusoids, sinusoid and space of Disse"
* - "Liver, Gall Bladder, and Pancreas: liver; sinusoids and Kupffer cells"
* - "Mammal, liver (EM, Low)"
{{Authority control
Liver anatomy
Histology