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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Generation of a Rat Model of Acute Liver Failure by Combining 70% Partial Hepatectomy and Acetaminophen
Published on: November 27, 2019
Early biomarkers predicting outcome in a porcine model of acetaminophen intoxication: A pilot study
Christian Thiel1, Ulrika Lischner1, Matthias Morgalla2
1Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
Background:
Acetaminophen intoxication has become the leading cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in Europe and the USA.
Objectives:
To identify early biomarkers in order to predict the development of ALF in a porcine model of acetaminophen intoxication.
Material And Methods:
Six German Landrace pigs received a single acetaminophen bolus of 1 g/kg body weight via a jejunal catheter. Cytokines and laboratory parameters were analyzed at 8-hour intervals for a total of 40 h.
Results:
Three of the 6 animals survived the intoxication. The nonsurviving animals had an increase in serum lactate and interleukin (IL)-6, with a simultaneous decrease in prothrombin time (PT) and albumin concentration 8 h after intoxication. In all nonsurviving animals, elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) at baseline before intoxication and during the course of ALF were observed. The acetaminophen serum concentrations and toxicokinetics did not differ between the nonsurviving and surviving animals. Methemoglobinemia was proportional to the administered doses and acetaminophen blood levels, but methemoglobinemia did not affect survival.
Conclusions:
Tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-6, lactate, prothrombin time, and albumin blood concentration were identified as early predictors of outcome after acetaminophen intoxication. An elevated TNF-α level before acetaminophen exposure was the earliest prognostic marker for a lethal outcome. Therefore, it could serve as a very early indicator of prognosis.
