Partial portal vein ligation plus thioacetamide: a method to obtain a new model of cirrhosis and chronic portal hypertension in the rat.
To obtain a new model of chronic portal hypertension in the rat, two classical methods to produce portal hypertension, partial portal vein ligation and the oral administration of thioacetamide (TAA), have been combined. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: 1 (control; n = 10), 2 [triple partial portal vein ligation (TPVL); n = 9], 3 (TAA; n = 11), and 4 (TPVL plus TAA; n = 9). After 3 months, portal pressure, types of portosystemic collateral circulation, laboratory hepatic function tests (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) and liver histology were studied. The animals belonging to group 2 (TPVL) developed extrahepatic portosystemic collateral circulation, associated with mesenteric venous vasculopathy without hepatic destructurization or portal hypertension. Animals from group 3 (TAA) developed cirrhosis and portal hypertension but not extrahepatic portosystemic collateral circulation, or mesenteric venous vasculopathy. Finally, the animals from group 4 (TPVL + TAA) developed cirrhosis, portal hypertension, portosystemic collateral circulation, and mesenteric venous vasculopathy. The association of TPVL and TAA can be used to obtain a model of chronic portal hypertension in the rat that includes all the alterations that patients with hepatic cirrhosis usually have. This could, therefore, prove to be a useful tool to study the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in these alterations.
Méndez-López
Marta
M
Psychobiology Department, Psychology School, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
Méndez
Magdalena
M
Sánchez-Patán
Fernando
F
Casado
Isabel
I
Aller
Maria-Angeles
MA
López
Laudino
L
Corcuera
Maria-Teresa
MT
Alonso
Maria-Jose
MJ
Nava
Maria-Paz
MP
Arias
Jaime
J
Arias
Jorge-Luis
JL
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008026:Ligation; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008642:Mesenteric Veins / Q000473:pathology; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013853:Thioacetamide
D013853:Thioacetamide