Development of a new auxiliary heterotopic partial liver transplantation technique using a liver cirrhosis model in minipigs: Preliminary report of eight transplants

Effects of dual arterial blood supply on liver regeneration in the graft and the host following heterotopic auxiliary liver transplantation

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the dual arterial blood supply method used in auxiliary liver transplantation on the regeneration of grafted and host liver. A total of 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three experimental groups, namely the 68% hepatectomy group (group A), the 68% hepatectomy with dual arterial blood supply group (group B) and the auxiliary liver transplantation with dual arterial blood supply group (group C). Group C was further divided into the host liver subgroup (group Ca) and the transplanted liver subgroup (group Cb). Six animals from each group were sacrificed at 1, 2 and 7 days after surgery. The calculation of the liver regeneration rate (LRR) was based on measuring liver weight. Liver function was assessed by measuring serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Apoptotic changes in the grafts and host livers were evaluated using TUNEL staining. The LRR in each group exhibited a tendency to increase over time. At each time point, the LRR of transplanted livers in group C exhibited no significant difference from that of host livers in group C (P>0.05). The ALT levels for each group exhibited a time-dependent decreasing tendency. The ALT level in group C was significantly higher compared to that in groups A and B at each time point (P<0.05). The expression of PCNA in transplanted and host livers in group C was significantly lower compared to that in groups A and B at the same time point (P<0.001). Although the number of apoptotic cells in each group varied at different time points, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). In auxiliary liver transplantation with the dual arterial blood supply method, the capacity of the liver regeneration in the grafts was similar to that of the host livers. Therefore, this technique may reduce the potential risk of graft liver atrophy caused by functional competition.