Modified Rat-Tail-Fixed Model of Parenteral Nutrition to Study Liver Injury

Abstract

For patients with intestinal failure, parenteral nutrition (PN) is a life-saving therapy. Unfortunately, PN does have serious adverse effects. The purpose of our study was to establish a tail-fixed and reproducible animal model of PNALD in which to explore the pathogenesis and evaluate various potential therapeutic manipulations as potential methods of treatment or prevention. Forty SD rats were randomly assigned to parenteral nutrition group or control group. A central venous catheter was inserted for intravenous infusion of a total parenteral nutrition solution (TPN group) or saline (control group) for 1 week or 2 weeks. Survival rate, hepatic biochemical tests, and liver pathology were analyzed. There was no significant difference in survival rate between the two groups at 1 and 2 weeks. The TPN group showed significant increases in direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, and serum aminotransferase than the control group (P < 0.05). Livers in the TPN group had severe, diffuse involvement of hepatocytes by macrovesicular and microvesicular steatosis. The pathological scores were significantly higher in the TPN group than the control group (P < 0.05). The model provides the opportunity to further investigate pathogenesis and treatment of parenteral nutrition–associated liver disease.