Establishment of an animal model of ischemic type intrahepatic biliary lesion in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
To explore a method to establish an animal model of ischemic type intrahepatic biliary lesion in rabbits.


METHODS
Forty Japanese white rabbits of clean grade were divided randomly into four groups (10 rabbits per group) including sham operation (SO) group, and artery-bile obstruction (ABO)-1 h group, ABO-2 h group and ABO-3 h group. All the rabbits in this study underwent the same initial surgical procedure in which the liver was prepared as for graft removal during liver transplantation. Subsequently in the SO group, no additional vascular intervention was performed, while in groups ABO-1 h, ABO-2 h and ABO-3 h, the animals underwent combined clamping of the hepatic artery and common bile duct with microvascular clips for 1, 2 and 3 h, respectively. After the scheduled occlusion time, the clip was removed to recover blood supply. The animals were killed 4 wk after operation. The survival rate, liver function, cholangiography and histopathological manifestation of the rabbits in each group were observed.


RESULTS
The survival rate was 100% in groups SO, ABO-1 h and ABO-2 h, while it was 60% in group ABO-3 h. At each observation time, the change degree of the indexes of liver function was proportional to the clamping time (ABO-3 h > ABO-2 h > ABO-1 h > SO, P < 0.05). Cholangiographical and histopathologic manifestations both showed that intrahepatic biliary lesion aggravated proportionally with the increase of the clamping time.


CONCLUSIONS
An animal model of ischemic type intrahepatic biliary lesion in rabbits is successfully established, which may provide a reliable technique for basic and clinical research into the etiology, development and prophylaxis of ischemic type intrahepatic biliary lesion after liver transplantation.
Sheng
Qin-Song
QS
Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatosplenic Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to the Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.
Chen
Da-Zhi
DZ
Lang
Ren
R
He
Qiang
Q
Yang
Yong-Jiu
YJ
Qu
Zhao-Wei
ZW
Zhao
De-Fang
DF
Zhang
Xiao-Sheng
XS
D000818:Animals; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002758:Cholangiography; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D011817:Rabbits