A method for quantitative analysis of the extent of necrosis in ischemic rat liver

A method has been developed for quantitative analysis of necrotic regions in lobes of the rat liver 24 hr after temporary ischemia. Essentially the method consists of cutting the liver lobes into 2-mm-thick slices by means of a specially developed cutting apparatus. The serial slices are incubated in a special holder with tetranitro BT, which enables a clear discrimination between necrotic (unstained) and undamaged (stained) tissue. All slices from the ischemic lobes are photographed in the holder and submitted to morphometric analysis on enlarged prints. This method to obtain an estimate of the volume density of necrotic regions is rapid, simple, and reliable and compares favorably with other methods used in the literature. The extent of necrosis after 15-min clamping of the afferent vessels is virtually nil; it rises with longer periods of necrosis to reach a value of +/- 80% after 120 min.