Establishment of a rat model with selective portal vein ligation

Abstract

Objective To establish a c1inical relevant rat selective portal vein ligation (sPVL) model under the microscopy for evaluating its effect on liver regeneration.Methods In the sPVL group,70％ of the portal veins (the left and median lobes) were ligated,while in the sham group,these branches were separated only but not ligated.The changes of the liver functions,weight ratio of ligated and non-ligated lobes to liver weight,and the regeneration rate of the non-ligated lobes in two groups were measured.Histopathological changes of the livers were observed.Results Thirty rats were subjected to sPVL successfully.Fourteen days post-operation,the weight ratio of the non-ligated lobes to liver weight was (90.36 ±0.21)％ in sPVL group and (34.39 ±2.50)％ in sham operation group (P＜0.01).Alanine transaminase (ALT) peaked at 48th h post-operation [(454.33 ± 116.00) U/L] and returned to the preoperative value [(59.67 ±9.00) U/L] on the day 7.Serum total bilirubin and albumin levels showed no significant changes.Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining revealed that the size of hepatocytes in the non-ligated lobes was enlarged,the hepatic sinusoid dilated and hepatocyte regeneration was observed.Masson staining showed that collagen deposited around the central veins and portal areas of the ligated lobes.Conclusion A rat sPVL model for inducing the regeneration of remnant liver was successfully established and it was proved to be stable,reproducible and similar to human portal vein ligation/embolization in clinical cases.It would be valuable for further use in clinical relevant researches. Key words: Selective portal vein ligation ; Liver regeneration ; Model,animal