Abstract

Acute liver failure induced by D-galactosamin: Selection of optimal dosage in rabbit

Author(s): Jiwei Han, Huihui Wu, Dingjie Ge, Fengxia Ying, Jian Ni, Lifang Jin

We sought to investigate the course of acute liver failure (ALF) when induced by different doses of D-galactosamin to select optimal dosage for different research objectives. Thirty healthy New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into three groups, which were administered with D-galactosamine via ear vein at doses of 1.2 (high-dose group), 0.6 (mediumdose group) and 0.3 g·kg-1 (low-dose group), respectively, to induce ALF. At 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after administration, blood samples were collected for measurement of glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phospatase (AKP), and total bilirubin (TB). The histology of liver tissue was accessed after 24 hours D-galactosamin adminstration. All rabbit were dead within 24 hours in the high dose groups and 80% of rabbit were dead within 96 h in the medium dose group, and the mean survival time was 65.7 h ± 10.2 h. Only one animal died at 96 hours after treatment in the low-dose group. Serum levels of ALT, AST, AKT and TB were significantly increased, while serum levels of glucose was significantly decreased in the medium dose groups. All these parameters were normal at 96 hours in the low-dose group. The rabbit in model groups showed severe damage to liver tissue 24 hours after Dgalactosamin administration in dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: A stable and reproducible rabbit model of ALF has been successfully established by 0.6 g·kg-1 Dgalactosamin administration, and can be used for future ALF research