title: Ideal Experimental Rat Models for Liver Diseases.
abstract: There are many limitations for conducting liver disease research in human beings due to the high cost and potential ethical issues. For this reason, conducting a study that is difficult to perform in humans using appropriate animal models, can be beneficial in ascertaining the pathological physiology, and in developing new treatment modalities. However, it is difficult to determine the appropriate animal model which is suitable for research purposes, since every patient has different and diverse clinical symptoms, adverse reactions, and complications due to the pathological physiology. Also, it is not easy to reproduce identically various clinical situations in animal models. Recently, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has tightened up the regulations, and therefore it is advisable to select the appropriate animals and decide upon the appropriate quantities through scientific and systemic considerations before conducting animal testing. Therefore, in this review article the authors examined various white rat animal testing models and determined the appropriate usable rat model, and the pros and cons of its application in liver disease research. The authors believe that this review will be beneficial in selecting proper laboratory animals for research purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea. ; Graduate School of Yonsei University, Graduate Program of Nano Science and Technology, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea. ; Cell Therapy Center, Severance Hospital, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea. ; Graduate School of Yonsei University, Graduate Program of Nano Science and Technology, Korea.
authors.forename: Seon Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea. ; Cell Therapy Center, Severance Hospital, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Animal model; Liver disease; Rat