1. The aim of the present study was to develop an experimental model of liver cirrhosis in rabbits using CCl4 and phenobarbital. 2. Liver cirrhosis was induced in male New Zealand white rabbits (n = 10) by intragastric administration of CCl4 once weekly starting 14 days after the addition of phenobarbital to the drinking water (50 mg/day). Controls received phenobarbital only (n = 7). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), albumin and bilirubin levels were determined throughout CCl4 treatment. The initial dose of CCl4 was 20 microg and subsequent doses were calculated to maintain AST and ALT levels between 400 and 800 IU/L for the duration of treatment (16 weeks). Indocyanine green (ICG) clearance was performed before and at the end of CCl4 treatment. Animals were killed at 16 weeks and three fragments of each liver lobe were processed for histological examination. A semiquantitative score was used to evaluate the development of fibrosis. 3. Cirrhosis developed in 80% of rabbits treated with CCl4. These animals did not gain weight compared with controls (P < 0.05). A significant reduction of ICG clearance was observed in CCl4-treated rabbits compared with controls (P < 0.05). The AST, ALT, bilirubin and gamma-GGT levels were elevated in CCl4-treated rabbits. 4. In conclusion, this model is successful in producing liver cirrhosis and may be useful in studies investigating metabolic, immunological or biochemical changes during the evolution of chronic liver disease.
Introduction: This study evaluated the effect of the vibratory platform on the lumbar spine morphology of Wistar rats submitted to hormonal deprivation by oophorectomy. Material and method: Twenty rats were divided into four groups: Pseudo-oophorectomy (GP), Pseudo-oophorectomy Treated (GPT), Oophorectomy (GO), Oophorectomy Treated (GOT). After 60 days of postoperative, the treated groups started exercises on a vibratory platform in the frequency parameters of 60 Hz, alternating vibration with amplitude of 2 mm, acceleration of 57.6 m/s² and time of 10 minutes, three times in the during the four week period. Following the euthanasia of the animals, the lumbar spine was dissected and processed for analysis of the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments, intervertebral disc height (IVD), nucleus pulposus (NP) height, radiographic density of the lumbar vertebrae and IVD morphology. Results: The results showed a decrease in the height of the NP associated to the GO and morphological alterations such as lamellar disorganization and presence of rifts in the fibrous ring, alterations of the structural limits and decrease of the NP cavity; while the other groups presented organized lamellae, peripheral and nuclear region well delimited and wide cavity of the nucleus. Conclusion: In this way, it can be concluded that the oophorectomy protocol promoted a decrease in the height of the NP of the IVD and that the exercise in the vibratory platform did not generate lesions in the analyzed tissues, as well as preserved the structural organization of the IVD and the height of the NP of oophorectomized rats.
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