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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Isolation of Regenerating Hepatocytes after Partial Hepatectomy in Mice
Published on: December 2, 2022
Liver regeneration is dependent on the extent of hepatectomy
Michelle Meier1, Kasper Jarlhelt Andersen1, Anders Riegels Knudsen1
1Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Background:
The upper limit for the size of hepatectomy is approximately 90% in rats. The aim of the study was to assess quantitatively using stereological methods the impact on liver function, regeneration rate (RR), and hepatocyte proliferation of varying hepatectomy size in a rat model.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 104 male Wistar rats were subjected to 30%, 70%, or 90% partial hepatectomy, sham operation, or no operation. Euthanization and harvesting of liver tissue and blood took place at postoperative days 1, 3, and 5 (n = 8 per group). Liver-specific biochemistry and RR were evaluated. Hepatocyte proliferation was estimated by immunohistochemical staining for Ki-67 antigen using unbiased stereological principles.
Results:
Liver RR in the 90% group increased by a 6.6 fold during the 5 postoperative days compared with only a minor increase in both the 70% and 30% partial hepatectomy groups. The highest number of Ki-67-positive hepatocytes was observed in the 70% group at postoperative day 1 and for the 90% group at postoperative day 3. Prothrombin-proconvertin ratio was significantly lower in the 90% group 1 d after surgery compared with all other groups, however, nearly normalized at postoperative day 5.
Conclusions:
We show that liver RR and the number of proliferating hepatocytes increase, whereas the initial hepatic synthetic capacity decreases with increasing hepatectomy size.
