Comparative Histomorphometric Analysis of Hepatocyte Nuclear Morphometry and Binucleation in Young and Elderly Adult Cadavers: A Pilot Study

Authors

  • Swapnil Kumar L Sarda Professor and Head, Department of Anatomy, Lakshmi Narain College of Technology Medical College, Indore, India Author
  • Abigail Dorothy C. Apacible Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, American University School of Medicine Oranjestad, Aruba Author
  • Reeha Mahajan Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of medical Sciences , Vijaypur, Jammu Author
  • Sandip Dandapat Tutor, Department of Anatomy, Lakshmi Narain College of Technology Medical College, Indore, India. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66328/ijprmh.2026.020102

Keywords:

Hepatic Aging, Hepatocyte Morphometry, Binucleation, Nuclear Morphometry, Hepatic Senescence

Abstract

Background: Aging of the liver is accompanied by subtle structural alterations at the cellular level, including changes in hepatocyte nuclear morphology and the frequency of binucleated cells. Quantitative human data describing these changes remain limited, particularly in cadaveric studies employing objective morphometric techniques.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional histomorphometric study was conducted on liver tissue obtained from 16 adult cadavers. Specimens were categorized into two age groups: young adults (20–40 years, n = 8) and elderly adults (≥60 years, n = 8). Standardized wedge biopsies were obtained from the right hepatic lobe, processed using routine histological techniques, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Digital histomorphometry was used to measure hepatocyte nuclear diameter, nuclear area, cytoplasmic area, nuclear-to-cytoplasmic (N:C) ratio, and the percentage of binucleated hepatocytes. Statistical comparisons between groups were performed using appropriate parametric or nonparametric tests, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Elderly specimens demonstrated significantly greater nuclear diameter and nuclear area compared with young adults (p < 0.001). The N:C ratio was also significantly higher in the elderly group. In addition, the proportion of binucleated hepatocytes showed a marked increase in elderly cadavers, exceeding twofold relative to younger specimens (p < 0.001). Age exhibited strong positive correlations with nuclear morphometric parameters and binucleation frequency.

Conclusion: Hepatic aging is associated with measurable enlargement of hepatocyte nuclei and increased binucleation, reflecting structural remodelling of liver parenchyma. Despite the modest sample size, the consistent morphometric trends observed highlight the utility of quantitative histological analysis in characterizing physiological hepatic aging.

References

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Published

2026-03-31

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026): Vol 2 Issue 1 January-March 2026

Section

Original Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Swapnil Kumar L Sarda, Abigail Dorothy C. Apacible, Reeha Mahajan, Sandip Dandapat (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Comparative Histomorphometric Analysis of Hepatocyte Nuclear Morphometry and Binucleation in Young and Elderly Adult Cadavers: A Pilot Study. (2026). International Journal of Public Research in Medicine and Health, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.66328/ijprmh.2026.020102