Differentiation of liver peroxisomes in the foetal and newborn rat. Cytochemistry of catalase and D-aminoacid oxidase

Organules containing cytochemically detectable amounts of catalase and D-aminoacid oxidase activities are observed between the 14th and 21st day of development in the parenchymal cells of the foetal rat liver and in the liver of newborn rats. As early as 14 to 15 days, a limited number of small microperoxisomes, scattered in the cytoplasm of very few hepatocytes, can be found. These are roundish shaped, have a granulous matrix and contain very low, hardly detectable levels of the above mentioned enzymes. In later development both the size and the enzymatic content of the organules gradually increase, approaching adult levels at the end of foetal development. Starting from the 18th to 19th day of intrauterine life nucleoids can be seen in many peroxisomes. The morphological and biochemical maturation from microperoxisomes to peroxisomes is accompanied by a gradual increase in the number of stainable organules, both per individual cell and per tissue area.