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The pathology of liver injury induced by the chronic administration of alcohol and ‘low‐dose’ carbon tetrachloride in Porton rats
Author(s) -
HALL PAULINE DE LA M.,
PLUMMER JOHN L.,
ILSLEY ANTHONY H.,
AHERN MICHAEL J.,
CMIELEWSKI PATRICIA L.,
WILLIAMS RICHARD A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1994.tb01719.x
Subject(s) - carbon tetrachloride , medicine , cirrhosis , liver injury , ccl4 , alcohol , pathology , progenitor cell , endocrinology , gastroenterology , stem cell , biochemistry , biology , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry
Abstract We have previously established a model for micronodular cirrhosis by feeding Wistar rats alcohol, in the Lieber–DeCarli liquid diet, and exposing them to ‘low‐dose’ carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) vapour for 10 weeks. This study reports the spectrum of liver pathology seen in male Porton rats exposed to ‘low‐dose’ CCl 4 vapour 5 nights/week, 6 h/night while being fed alcohol (300 kcal/L) in the Lieber‐DeCarli diet. Micronodular cirrhosis developed in all animals after 5–7 weeks of treatment. The simultaneous administration of silymarin, a putative hepatoprotective agent, in the liquid diet, did not alleviate or prevent the chronic liver injury. The histopathological features of the liver injury are described, with particular emphasis on the presence of small epithelial cells (‘progenitor or stem cell'), which appear to be playing a role in liver regeneration.