Abstract: Objective To compare the effects of different approaches to establishing rat models of acute liver failure (ALF).
Methods Sixty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups for establishing ALF models using 3 different
approaches, namely conventional hepatectomy for resecting 90% liver tissue as described by Higgins and Anderson, modified
bloodless hepatectomy for resecting 90% liver tissue, and intraperitoneal injections of 700 mg/kg D-galactosamine (D-gal) and
5 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The mortality of the rats due to postoperative bleeding and survival rate at 7 days after the
surgery were recorded. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilimbin (Tbil), albumin (ALB), NH3, glucose (Glu)
and prothrombin time (PT) were monitored, and histopathologies of the liver were examined at 24 and 72 h after the surgery.
Results The mortality rate due to postoperative bleeding was higher in conventional hepatectomy group than in the modified
surgical group (15% vs 0). The survival rate at 7 days was 25%, 0%, 15% in conventional surgical group, modified surgical
group and drug injection group, respectively. In the latter two groups, significant changes of ALT, Tbil, ALB, NH3, Glu, and PT
were recorded at 24 and 72 h after the modeling (P<0.05), and these changes were the most obvious at 24 h in modified surgical
group and at 72 h in the drug injection group; ALB in both groups declined to the lowest at 7 days and then increased
gradually. Liver cell degeneration and necrosis were found in modified surgical group and drug injection group at 24 h and 72
h after the modeling. Conclusions Both the modified 90% bloodless hepatectomy and injections of D-gal and LPS can be used
to establish ideal rat models of ALF to suit different ALF-related researches.