Development of a new animal model of liver cirrhosis in swine.

This study aimed to develop a new experimental model of liver cirrhosis in swine by using carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) and ethanol. Liver cirrhosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of CCl(4) twice a week for 9 weeks. Maize flour was the only food provided and the animals drunk a 5% alcohol-water mixture. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin, bilirubin and portal venous pressure (PVP) levels were determined throughout CCl(4) treatment. The animals were sacrificed under general anesthesia at week 9 and liver samples were collected for histological analysis. 83.3% of the swine had liver cirrhosis and 33.3% had died. There was no change of body weight during the course of the experiment (p > 0.05). The AST and ALT levels increased significantly in the early stage of the study but had a trend to decrease during the late phase. The level of bilirubin increased greatly and albumin decreased during the whole experiment (p < 0.05). PVP levels decreased in the early stage in CCl(4)-treated swine, but increased significantly at the late phase. In conclusion, this study was successful in producing liver cirrhosis and offers an ideal experimental model for observing surgical therapeutic efficacy. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.