Abstract:Objective: To find an ideal liver cirrhosis portal hypertension model in big animals suitable for surgical study.
Methods :Twenty canines were treated by subcutaneous injection of 60% CCl4 colza oil emulsion into the back, at a dose of 1.0-1.3 mL/kg every 10 days for a total of 6-8 times. At the same time, it was combined with the control of food intake. All canines were fed with rice mixed with 10% hog fat. The amount of rice was 15 g/kg per day from the first day to the forth day, but the amount of food was not controlled from the fifth day to the tenth day. During the process, the canines′ general condition was observed and the changes of hepatic functions such as ALT, TP, ALB, G and A/G were measured. The changes of liver morphology, the diameter and blood flow of portal vein were monitored with color Doppler. Every two weeks, a piece of hepatic tissue to observe the pathological change of liver was excised operatively.
Results:During the process, the body weight of the canines decreased continually; ALT increased during early and middle stages and decreased during advanced stage; TP and ALB always decreased, and A/G continuously decreased, but G did not change significamtly. Eight weeks after injection, liver became progressively smaller. its density was not well-distributed, and liver particles gradually became coarse, and liver capsule became rough. The diameter of portal veins became larger and the velocity of portal vein became slower. Liver cirrhosis with psudolobules was found on light microscopy from the tenth week to the twelfth week. Three canines died, with mortality of 15.0%.
Conclusions:It took 10-12 weeks to establish this liver cirrhosis portal hypertension models in canines by subcutaneous injection of CCl4. This method is convenient, has high success rate, and is suitable for use in surgieal research.