Perfusion of trout liver in situ. Description and validation of the technique

Abstract

Summary ― The aim of this study was to develop a method for perfusing isolated trout livers that would make it possible to study hepatic metabolism in the whole organ. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) subjected to different fasting periods of 24, 48 or 96 h were used in all the experiments. A non-recirculating system was applied at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The perfusion medium was a specific saline solution for salmonids oxygenated by a multibulb glass oxygenator. Viability assays included the measurement of oxygen consumption, lactate dehydrogenase activity and liver metabolic capacity. In addition, a histological study was carried out. Our results showed that the metabolic capacity of the liver survived throughout the perfusion process and that the functioning of this organ changed depending on the length of the fasting period to which the animal had been submitted. The method described here was shown to be suitable for studying the

Seasonal and Morphological Variations of Brown Trout (Salmo truttaf.fario) Kidney Peroxisomes: A Stereological Study

“…Animals were anesthetized by immersion in a 1 mL/L aqueous solution of ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, and then weighed and measured in length. Before kidney collection, perfusion was made with a 5 IU/mL heparinized isosmotic buffer for salmonids (Cascales et al, 1997), composed of NaCl 0.74%, KCl 0.04%, CaCl 2 0.02%, MgSO 4 0.15%, NaHCO 3 0.03%, NaH 2 PO 4 •H 2 O 0.05%, Na 2 H-PO 4 •2H 2 O 0.16%. For improving the perfusion the most posterior part of the fish was cut allowing a cannulation of either the vein or the artery (each at a time) with simultaneous escape of both perfusate and blood by either one or the other vessel.…”