[Animal Modeling Drug Efficacy Evaluation] - Small Pig Alcoholic Fatty Liver Model

  Animal models of alcoholic fatty liver are divided into two categories: acute alcoholic fatty liver models and chronic alcoholic fatty liver models. As is well known, alcohol has direct toxicity to the liver and is the main cause of liver damage. It is necessary to select an ideal experimental animal model in order to further study the pathogenesis of alcoholic fatty liver and screen effective drugs for its prevention and treatment. At the same time, this model must be similar to the characteristics of human alcoholic liver disease, with a certain development process of lesions, high formation rate, low mortality rate, simple and feasible modeling method, slow reversal of lesions after modeling, and easy drug intervention research. Some scholars have used miniature pigs to replicate chronic liver injury models, which can ensure alcohol intake. The experimental method is as follows: Mix 65% corn flour with 35% cholesteryl alcohol to make feed. First, mix a small amount of carbon tetrachloride [0.2-0.3ml/(kg · d)] and phenobarbital sodium [2mg/(kg · d)] into the feed to make it quickly consumed. Then give the feed without carbon tetrachloride and phenobarbital sodium, dilute it to 10% anhydrous ethanol as the only beverage, feed once a day for 8 weeks until the model is successfully prepared. The pathological results of the 4th weekend showed the occurrence of steatohepatitis: liver cells showed swelling, irregularly distributed fat droplets of varying sizes appeared in the cytoplasm, the nucleus was squeezed to the edge of the cells by the fat droplets, liver cells showed punctate necrosis, and mixed inflammatory cell infiltration appeared in the portal area. After 8 weeks, pathological results showed liver fibrosis: the liver cells around the central vein showed large lipid droplet like lipid changes, with patchy liver cell necrosis, partial collapse of lobular structures, aggregation of reticular fibers in the necrotic area, proliferation of fibroblasts in the portal area, and deposition of collagen fibers around it. The results confirmed that the alcoholic fatty liver model could be successfully replicated using miniature pigs. However, the experimental period for miniature pig models is long and the cost is relatively expensive.