Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 116 Huayuan Road, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450008, P.R. China.
Institute of Laboratory Animals, Jinan University, 601 West Huangpu Avenue, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510632, P.R. China.
Exp Anim. 2020 Jan 29;69(1):110-118. doi: 10.1538/expanim.19-0073. Epub 2019 Sep 26.
There has been a lack of suitable fatty liver models and characterization techniques for histopathological evaluation of alcoholic fatty liver (AFL). This work aimed to exploit an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for characterizing an alcohol-induced fatty liver model established in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinese). The animals were treated with 15% alcohol for two weeks instead of drinking water to induce AFL. Blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alcohol, and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were determined, and the histopathology of the liver was checked by hematoxylin & eosin (HE) and Oil red O staining on day 0 and on the 4th, 7th and 14th days after alcohol feeding. MRI was used to trace the histopathological changes in the liver of tree shrews in real time. Compared with the control group, the levels of ALT, AST, and MDA significantly increased in the alcohol-induced group and were positively correlated with the induction time. HE and Oil red O staining revealed that a moderate fatty lesion occurred in the liver on the 4th day and that a serious AFL was successfully induced on the 14th day. MRI further confirmed the formation of AFL. MRI, as noninvasive examination technique, provides an alternative tool for accurate characterization of AFL in live subjects. It is comparable to HE or Oil red O staining for histopathological examination, but is more suitable by virtue of its high flexibility and compliance. The AFL model of tree shrews combined with MRI characterization can work as a platform for studying fatty liver diseases and medications for their treatment.
目前缺乏合适的脂肪肝模型和组织病理学评估技术来研究酒精性脂肪肝（AFL）。本研究旨在利用磁共振成像（MRI）技术来对树鼩（Tupaia belangeri chinese）酒精诱导的脂肪肝模型进行特征描述。通过两周的 15%酒精灌胃而非饮水来诱导 AFL。检测动物的血液丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）、酒精和肝丙二醛（MDA）浓度，并在酒精喂养第 0 天、第 4 天、第 7 天和第 14 天通过苏木精和伊红（HE）和油红 O 染色检查肝脏的组织病理学变化。MRI 用于实时追踪树鼩肝脏的组织病理学变化。与对照组相比，酒精诱导组的 ALT、AST 和 MDA 水平显著升高，且与诱导时间呈正相关。HE 和油红 O 染色显示第 4 天肝脏出现中度脂肪病变，第 14 天成功诱导严重 AFL。MRI 进一步证实了 AFL 的形成。MRI 作为一种非侵入性检查技术，为活体 AFL 的准确特征描述提供了一种替代工具。它与 HE 或油红 O 染色一样适用于组织病理学检查，但由于其高灵活性和顺应性，更具优势。树鼩 AFL 模型与 MRI 特征描述相结合，可以作为研究脂肪肝疾病和治疗药物的平台。
