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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells
Published on: June 29, 2012
[Establishment and optimization of rat models for hepatic oval cells proliferation]
Yaokai Chen1, Yuming Wang, Jungang Li
1Institute of Infectious Diseases, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Objective:
To establish a rat model for hepatic oval cell proliferation and to observe the relationship between 2-acetaminofluorene (AAF) dosage and oval cell proliferation in the rat liver.
Methods:
Male Wistar rats weighing 150 g received daily oral gavage of AAF for 4 days before operation and up to 7 days after operation. Two-thirds hepatectomy was performed on the 5th day and the gavage was not performed on the day of operation. AFF was given with the dosage of 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, and 20 mg/kg body weight. Animals in control group were given saline. Three rats from each group were killed every 2~3 days after hepatectomy and liver slices were fixed and processed for routine histology and immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Hepatic oval cells were not observed in the liver of controls and only a few were detected in the liver of 2.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg groups. However, obvious oval cell proliferation was seen in the liver of 10 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, and 20 mg/kg groups. Hepatic oval cells were stained positive for cytokeratin 19, OV6, vimentin and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
Conclusions:
Satisfactory rat models for hepatic oval cell proliferation can be obtained using our scheme when AAF is dosed at 10~20 mg/kg body weight.
