Electron Microscopic Study and X-ray Probe Microanalysis of the Liver of LEC Rat, an Animal Model of Wilson Disease

Microanalysis using JEOL JEM-2010 and JEM-2800 could provide important information on trace elements in LEC rat livers. Copper appeared with sulfur, while iron coexisted with phosphorus and oxygen in acid phosphatase-positive dense bodies. It is likely that cuprothionein and iron protein are stored in the lysosomal system of hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. Therefore, LEC rats may be a good model for studying the pathogenesis of progressive liver disease in Wilson disease.