[Development of a standard model of nutritional liver injuries which could be used in experimental pharmacology]

This work was undertaken to elaborate a standard model of nutritional liver injury similar to that occurring in the deficiency states in human pathology with regard to functional troubles and morphological lesions. Rats of the Wistar strain were fed two low protein diets (diet A and diet B) containing however the full composition of vitamins and minerals. The diet A showed the most advantages as it provoked mild liver changes; but it proved to induce continuous impairment of the liver function in parallel direction with the parenchymal lesions. The full correlation of the morphological lesions and the functional disturbances observed in experimental animals as well as their intimate ressemblance to the clinical picture and hepatic lesions encountered in the deficiency states in human pathology suggest that present model of nutritional liver injury could be useful in experimental pharmacology.