Thioacetamide- and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis

Two methods of inducing liver cirrhosis in the rat were studied. Intragastric administration of CCl4 for 16 weeks according to Proctor and Chatamra was compared to the administration of thioacetamide in the drinking water (0.3 g/l) for the same period. CCl4 administration induced micronodular cirrhosis in 6/8 animals with a 27% mortality. Thioacetamide induced cirrhosis in 6/8 animals without mortality. The histologic pictures differed somewhat in that the CCl4 group exhibited more necrosis and cellular swelling while the thioacetamide group had more nuclear atypias and proliferation. Biochemically both groups had elevated plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase. The lysosomal enzyme beta-hexosaminidase (beta-NAG) showed a transient increase in the thioacetamide animals, while beta-glucuronidase decreased. CCl4-induced cirrhosis led to an increase in beta-NAG. Plasma zinc decreased in both groups as well as liver zinc content in the CCl4 group, while there was a continuous elevation of liver zinc in the thioacetamide group. We conclude that oral administration of thioacetamide is a simple and reliable method of inducing experimental liver cirrhosis. The differences in histological appearances and some biochemical parameters may be caused by the different mechanisms of action of thioacetamide and CCl4.