Ideal Experimental Rat Models for Liver Diseases

Abstract

There are many limitations for conducting liver disease research in human beings due to the high cost and potential ethical issues. For this reason, conducting a study that is difficult to perform in humans using appropriate animal models, can be beneficial in ascertaining the pathological physiology, and in developing new treatment modalities. However, it is difficult to determine the appropriate animal model which is suitable for research purposes, since every patient has different and diverse clinical symptoms, adverse reactions, and complications due to the pathological physiology. Also, it is not easy to reproduce identically various clinical situations in animal models. Recently, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has tightened up the regulations, and therefore it is advisable to select the appropriate animals and decide upon the appropriate quantities through scientific and systemic considerations before conducting animal testing. Therefore, in this review article the authors examined various white rat animal testing models and determined the appropriate usable rat model, and the pros and cons of its application in liver disease research. The authors believe that this review will be beneficial in selecting proper laboratory animals for research purposes.

Mechanistic evaluation of AMPK/SIRT1/FXR signaling axis, inflammation, and redox status in thioacetamide‐induced liver cirrhosis: The role ofCichorium intybuslinn (chicory)‐supplemented diet

“…Non‐phenolic compounds as cichoric acid and inulin have immunostimulant, antibacterial, and anti‐inflammatory activities (Jurgonbski et al, ; Street, Sidana, & Prinsloo, ). TAA induces hepatic injury, fibrosis, and cirrhosis with histopathological features similar to those found in humans, especially of viral hepatitis (Lee, Kim, Min, & Kim, ). The present study has established a rate model of TAA‐induced liver cirrhosis to deliberate the anti‐fibrotic, antioxidant, and anti‐inflammatory roles of C. intybus linn on hepatic damage and cirrhosis induced by TAA via AMPK/SIRT1/FXR axis.…”

“…Disturbed redox status as a result of oxidant/antioxidant imbalance causes oxidation of membrane lipid/proteins, DNA, structural and functional degeneration of cellular enzymes, and motivates proliferative/pro‐inflammatory activity of HSCs nourishing the advance of liver fibrosis to cirrhosis (Lee et al, ). NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase‐1 (NQO1) enzyme catalyzes two‐electron reduction and detoxification of quinones and its derivatives, so protecting cells from oxidative stress and their sequel (Shoeib et al, ).…”

“…Non-phenolic compounds as cichoric acid and inulin have immunostimulant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities (Jurgonbski et al, 2011;Street, Sidana, & Prinsloo, 2013). (Lee et al, 2011). NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) enzyme catalyzes two-electron reduction and detoxification of quinones and its derivatives, so protecting cells from oxidative stress and their sequel (Shoeib et al, 2018).…”

CHI3L1 alleviate acute liver injury by inhibiting Th1 cells differentiation through STAT3 signaling pathway

“…Acetaminophen (APAP) is a common cause of drug-related hepatotoxicity-either through accidental or intentional overdose-and can induce serious liver injury and failure (4). Thioacetamide (TAA) is a widely-used hepatotoxicant in laboratory studies due to its ability to elicit a pathophysiological process that causes liver damage in animals (5). Compared with other reagents, TAA exhibits several advantages: TAA has higher reproducibility, higher reliability for various species, and lower mortality.…”

Assessment of hepatic function, perfusion and parenchyma attenuation with indocyanine green, ultrasound and computed tomography in a healthy rat model: Preliminary determination of baseline parameters in a healthy liver

“…In this respect, animal models play a crucial role in pre-clinical studies. Due to their ease of handling, accessibility, size, possibility of obtaining different number of samples and reproducibility of studies, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats are considered as an ideal experimental model for liver diseases and surgery [ 11 ]. However, these studies entail multiple animal sacrifices to reach an optimal experimental sample size, increasing costs and rising controversy about animal welfare in research.…”