【Animal modeling】-Effects of bile duct ligation and recanalization on the phenotype and NOX4 protein expression in rat liver

  Objective: To design and establish a rat liver fibrosis model with bile duct ligation and recanalization, and to observe the effects of bile duct ligation and recanalization on epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and oxidative stress-related protein expression in rat liver tissue.

  METHODS: Twelve male Wista rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, bile duct ligation group for 2 weeks, bile duct ligation group for 4 weeks, and bile duct ligation group for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks of bile duct ligation. The model size was evaluated by tissue HE staining and Masson staining. The degree of liver fibrosis in mice; the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal marker proteins and oxidative stress-related proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

  Results: Compared with the sham operation group, with the prolongation of the bile duct ligation time, the liver fibrosis in the model group was significantly increased, and the expressions of α-SMA, collagen I, NOX4 and Vimetin were significantly increased, while the expression of E-cadherin was significantly increased. Compared with the simple bile duct ligation group for 4 weeks, the liver fibrosis of the rats in the ligation and recanalization group was significantly reduced, the expression of NOX4 and mesenchymal cell marker proteins was significantly lower than that in the simple ligation group for 4 weeks, and the expression of endothelial cell marker proteins was higher than that in the simple ligation group. The 4-week group was significantly higher.

  Conclusion: Bile duct ligation can up-regulate the expression of interstitial phenotype-related protein and NOX4 protein in the rat liver, while inhibiting the expression of epithelial phenotype-related protein; after recanalization, the intrahepatic epithelial phenotype of the original bile duct ligation in rats is related The protein expression increased, while the expression of mesenchymal phenotype-related protein and NOX4 protein was significantly decreased.