Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Serial Percutaneous Liver Biopsies in Laboratory Rats

  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The percutaneous liver biopsy is an essential tool that provides histological assessment of the liver for diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic purposes. To date, this procedure has not been described in the laboratory setting for studies with small laboratory animals. The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility and diagnostic value of performing serial percutaneous liver biopsies in a rat model of chronic liver disease. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 27) were exposed to thioacetamide (TAA) for six months, throughout which serial liver biopsies were performed at baseline and two, four, and six months. An additional group of isocaloric-fed rats (N = 6) not exposed to TAA served as controls. Following the biopsies at each time point, a subset of rats was killed to determine whether the histologic findings seen in the biopsies were consistent with the histology of the entire organ. Seven rats (21%) died from complications of the procedure (one from anaesthetic overdose and six from postbiopsy bleeding). A total of 72 biopsies were performed, resulting in a procedural mortality of 8%. In the remaining rats, biopsies were well tolerated with no overt signs of pain or discomfort. Histologic activity and fibrosis in the biopsy specimens reflected the results observed in wedge sections of liver tissue at all stages of TAA-induced liver disease. The results of this study indicate that serial percutaneous liver biopsies can be successfully performed and reflect the extent of hepatic injury in a common model of chronic liver disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cornelius CE: Animal Models. New York, Raven Press, 1988, pp 1315-1336

    Google Scholar 

  2. Waynforth HB, Flecknell PA. Experimental and Surgical Technique in the Rat. San Diego, CA: Acedemic Press Limited, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Wu J, Norton PA: Animal models of liver fibrosis. Scand J Gastroenterol 31:1137-1143, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  4. Tsukamoto H, Matsuoka M, French SW: Experimental models of hepatic fibrosis: a review. Semin Liver Dis 10:56-65, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  5. Tennant BC: Animal models of hepadnavirus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Liver Dis 5:43-68, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  6. Terblanche J, Hickman R: Animal models of fulminant hepatic failure. Dig Dis Sci 36:770-774, 1991

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kountouras J, Billing BH, Scheuer PJ: Prolonged bile duct obstruction: a new experimental model for cirrhosis in the rat. Br. J Exp Pathol 65:305-311, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  8. Koteish A, Diehl AM: Animal models of steatosis. Semin Liver Dis 21:89-104, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  9. Goldsworthy TL, Hanigan MH, Pitot HC: Models of hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat—contrasts and comparisons. Crit Rev Toxicol 17:61-89, 1986

    Google Scholar 

  10. Chu CJ, Lee FY, Wang SS, Chang FY, Lin HC, Wu SL, Chan CC, Tsai YT, Lee SD: Establishment of an animal model of hepatic encephalopathy. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Taipei) 63:263-269, 2000

    Google Scholar 

  11. Johnston DE: Special considerations in interpreting liver function tests. Am Fam Physician 59:2223-2230, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  12. Chow PK, Jeyaraj P, Tan SY, Cheong SF, Soo KC: Serial ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy in a partial hepatectomy porcine model: a new technique in the study of liver regeneration. J Surg Res 70:134-137, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  13. Boelsterli U, Zbinden G: Application of fine-needle aspiration biopsy for the diagnosis of dysplastic and neoplastic liver cell changes induced by N—nitrosomorpholine in rats. Arch Toxicol 42:225-238, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  14. Giampaolo C, Brady K, Kowalski B, Rogers AE: Cytologic characteristics of neoplastic and of regenerating hepatocytes in fine needle aspirates of rat liver. Toxicol Pathol 17(4):743-753, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  15. Jeong DH, Jang JJ, Lee SJ, Lee JH, Lim IK, Lee MJ, Lee YS: Expression patterns of cell cycle-related proteins in a rat cirrhotic model induced by CCl4 or thioacetamide. J Gastroenterol 36:24-32, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  16. Bachmann R, Kreft B, Dombrowski F, Block W, Oksendal A, Schild H: Enhanced tumor detection in the presence of liver cirrhosis: experimental study on the diagnostic value of a superparamagnetic iron oxide MR imaging contrast agent (NSR 0430). J Magn Reson Imaging 9:251-256, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bravo AA, Sheth SG, Chopra S: Liver biopsy. N Engl J Med 344:495-500, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  18. Piccinino F, Sagnelli E, Pasquale G, Giusti G: Complications following percutaneous liver biopsy. A multicentre retrospective study on 68, 276 biopsies. J Hepatol 2:165-173, 1986

    Google Scholar 

  19. Haraszti A, Surjan A: Healing of the needle-biopsy wound in the liver of the rat. Acta Hepatogastroenterol (Stuttg) 20:290-294, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  20. Muller A, Machnik F, Zimmermann T, Schubert H: Thioacetamide-induced cirrhosislike liver lesions in rats—usefulness and reliability of this animal model. Exp Pathol 34:229-236, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  21. Zimmermann T, Muller A, Machnik G, Franke H, Schubert H, Dargel R: Biochemical and morphological studies on production and regression of experimental liver cirrhosis induced by thioacetamide in Uje: WIST rats. Z Versuchstierkd 30:165-180, 1987

    Google Scholar 

  22. Dashti H, Jeppsson B, Hagerstrand I, Hultberg B, Srinivas U, Abdulla M, Bengmark S: Thioacetamide-and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis. Eur Surg Res 21:83-91, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  23. Chomczynski P, Sacchi N: Single-step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate—phenol—chloroform extraction. Anal Biochem 162:156-159, 1987

    Google Scholar 

  24. Gauthier ER, Madison SD, Michel RN: Rapid RNA isolation without the use of commercial kits: application to small tissue samples. Pfleugers Arch 433:664-668, 1997

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Section of Hepatology, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

    I. R. Corbin & G. Y. Minuk

Authors
  1. I. R. Corbin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. Y. Minuk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Y. Minuk.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Corbin, I.R., Minuk, G.Y. Serial Percutaneous Liver Biopsies in Laboratory Rats. Dig Dis Sci 48, 1939–1943 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026228018643

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026228018643

Search

Navigation