title: Application of the isolated perfused rat liver preparation to pharmacological studies of the intrahepatic portal vascular bed.
abstract: A method is described for the perfusion of the isolated rat liver preparation which is particularly suited to a selective pharmacological study of the portal vascular bed of the liver. A synthetic medium free of vasoactive substances and composed of 2.5% bovine serum albumin in Krebs-Henseleit buffer is pumped into the portal vein at a controlled rate while the perfusion pressure is recorded electronically. The advantages of this technique are that while the viability of the isolated organ is preserved, the preparation remains haemodynamically stable and the response to vasoactive agents can be accurately and reproducibly determined. The constant perfusate flow also allows cumulative dose-response curves to be constructed, even for powerful vasoconstrictor agents. The present perfusion method has also been validated by comparing the responses obtained from a variety of vasoactive substances with those reported in other in vivo studies.
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010477:Perfusion; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011168:Portal System / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D013696:Temperature; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D010646:Phentolamine