title: The bile duct ligated rat: A relevant model to study muscle mass loss in cirrhosis.
abstract: Muscle mass loss and hepatic encephalopathy (complex neuropsychiatric disorder) are serious complications of chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) which impact negatively on clinical outcome and quality of life and increase mortality. Liver disease leads to hyperammonemia and ammonia toxicity is believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. However, the effects of ammonia are not brain-specific and therefore may also affect other organs and tissues including muscle. The precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in chronic liver disease remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we characterized body composition as well as muscle protein synthesis in cirrhotic rats with hepatic encephalopathy using the 6-week bile duct ligation (BDL) model which recapitulates the main features of cirrhosis. Compared to sham-operated control animals, BDL rats display significant decreased gain in body weight, altered body composition, decreased gastrocnemius muscle mass and circumference as well as altered muscle morphology. Muscle protein synthesis was also significantly reduced in BDL rats compared to control animals. These findings demonstrate that the 6-week BDL experimental rat is a relevant model to study liver disease-induced muscle mass loss.
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Cristina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bosoi
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Mariana M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ochoa-Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Center for Translational Research in Aging & Longevity, Department of Health & Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriella A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ten Have
authors.affiliation: Center for Translational Research in Aging & Longevity, Department of Health & Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolaas E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Deutz
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. chantal.bemeur@umontreal.ca.|Département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada. chantal.bemeur@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bemeur
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D001652:Bile Ducts; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy; D022124:Hyperammonemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008026:Ligation; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins; D000641:Ammonia
keywords: Ammonia; Experimental cirrhosis; Hepatic encephalopathy; Muscle mass loss; Protein synthesis