Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
Partial Bile Duct Ligation in the Mouse: A Controlled Model of Localized Obstructive Cholestasis
Published on: March 28, 2018
Propitious role of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells in an experimental bile duct ligation model: potential
Shilpa Sharma1, Sujata Mohanty, Prasenjit Das
1All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. drshilpas@gmail.com
Purpose:
To evaluate the role of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMC) in rat bile duct ligation (BDL) model.
Methods:
Wistar rats were categorized into four Groups A-D. Normal liver biopsy was taken from Group A. BDL model was created in Groups B and C (15 each). Normal saline and BMC were injected through portal vein (PV) in Groups B and C, respectively. In Group D (healthy rat), only BMC were infused through PV. Groups B and C were compared for body weight, liver functions, survival, and histopathological changes.
Results:
Serum bilirubin was lower in Group C at day 6 (p = 0.0010). Median survival time was 5 (4, 6) and 13 (9, 17) days in Groups B and C (p = 0.0147), respectively. Portal edema (p = 0.013) and portal inflammation (p = 0.025) were less in Group C vs Group B. On post hoc subgroup analysis of rats surviving 8-26 days, portal inflammation (p = 0.004), bile duct proliferation (p = 0.016) and portal fibrosis (p = 0.038) were less in Group C vs Group B. Hepatocyte regeneration was found in four rats in Group C. CD34-positive cells were prominent in sinusoids and portal tracts in the BDL rat model.
Conclusions:
BMC have shown to delay fibrosis, facilitate hepatocyte regeneration and improve survival in an experimental BDL model, with potential clinical implication in obstructive cholangiopathy.
