Development of a novel rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury by injection with colchicine via the splenic vein

AIM: To develop a novel rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury. METHODS: Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n = 10) and a colchicine group (n = 60). A 0.25% colchicine solution (0.4 mL/kg) was injected via the splenic vein in the colchicine group to develop a rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury. An equal volume of normal saline was injected via the splenic vein in the control group. At days 3, 7, and 14 and weeks 4, 8, and 12 after the operation, at least seven rats of the colchicine group were selected randomly for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations, and then they were euthanized. Ten rats of the control group underwent MRI examinations at the same time points, and then were euthanized at week 12. T2-weighted images (T2WI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) were used to evaluate the heterogeneous hepatic injury. The heterogeneous injury between the left and right hepatic lobes was assessed on liver sections according to the histological scoring criteria, and correlated with the results of MRI study. RESULTS: Obvious pathological changes occurred in the hepatic parenchyma in the colchicine group. Hepatic injury scores were significantly different between the left and right lobes at each time point (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of DWI and liver-to-muscle ratio (LMR) of T2WI between the left and right lobes of rats in the colchicine group (P < 0.05) at each time point, and similar results were observed between the colchicine and control groups. Besides, there was a significant correlation between hepatic injury scores and ADC values or LMR (r = -0.682, P = 0.000; r = -0.245, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Injection with colchicine via the splenic vein can be used to successfully develop a rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury. DWI and T2WI may help evaluate the heterogeneous injury among liver lobes.