The free portal pressure changes of the liver in mini-pig models of hepatic cirrhosis

Abstract

Objective To assess the free portal pressure changes of the liver during the establishment of mini-pig models of hepatic cirrhosis.Methods Fifty Bama mini-pigs of the same germline,male or female,aged 4 months,weighing 15-20 kg,were included in this study.The mini-pigs were divided at random into an experimental group of 40 and a control group of 10 animals.Compound feed including carbon tetrachloride and phenobarbitone was employed to establish the mini-pig models in the experimental group,and normal feed was given to the control mini-pigs.Liver puncture biopsy was performed and free portal pressures were measured at the end of 0,4th,8th,12th,16th,20th,and 24th week,respectively.Results At the end of 24th week,there were 70 cases of stage 0 hepatic fibrosis in the normal group,while in the experiment group there were 82 cases of slight hepatic fibrosis (stage S1 + S2),62 cases of severe hepatic fibrosis (stage S3 + S4),and 33 cases of hepatic cirrhosis.From the normal to cirrhosis,the free portal pressures were gradually elevated [(4.61 ± 0.84),(7.74 ± 1.94),(12.79 ± 4.00) and (17.03 ±3.41) mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa)],with statistically significant differences among the different lesion groups (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Compound feed including carbon tetrachloride and phenobarbitone can be used to successfully establish mini-pig models of hepatic cirrhosis,showing significant changes of free portal pressures at different stages of the development of hepatic fibrosis. Key words: Mini-pig model; Hepatic cirrhosis; Portal pressures