OBJECTIVE: To provide reference for the selection of experimental animals in liver research by comparing the histomorphological similarity between the livers of four commonly used experimental animals, mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, and human livers.
METHODS: The livers of normal mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits were taken, and compared with human livers in terms of morphological characteristics, lobulation, organ coefficient, and hepatocyte nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio.
Results: The morphology of rabbit liver was the closest to that of human, which was irregular wedge-shaped and wedge-shaped. The nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio of the two was also the most similar, which were 0.158 and 0.149, respectively. The closest, at 3.096% and 2.35%, respectively.
Conclusion: Rabbits and guinea pigs are closer to human in histomorphological characteristics, and may be more suitable for liver-related research.