Normothermic Ex Vivo Liver Platform Using Porcine Slaughterhouse Livers for Disease Modeling.

ABSTRACT: Metabolic and toxic liver disorders, such as fatty liver disease (steatosis) and drug-induced liver injury, are highly prevalent and potentially life-threatening. To allow for the study of these disorders from the early stages onward, without using experimental animals, we collected porcine livers in a slaughterhouse and perfused these livers normothermically. With our simplified protocol, the perfused slaughterhouse livers remained viable and functional over five hours of perfusion, as shown by hemodynamics, bile production, indocyanine green clearance, ammonia metabolism, gene expression and histology. As a proof-of-concept to study liver disorders, we show that an infusion of free fatty acids and acetaminophen results in early biochemical signs of liver damage, including reduced functio

SUBMITTER: Kruger M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9495507 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature