Bile duct ligation causes extrahepatic biliary obstruction, which leads to bile duct dilatation and bile stasis. When the pressure in the bile duct increases, intrahepatic bile ducts dilate and rupture, intrahepatic blood vessels are compressed by both the dilated bile ducts and the extravasated bile, hepatocytes become ischaemic and necrotic, and fibrous tissue proliferates, surrounding the liver lobules and spreading around the hepatocytes, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis.
Model Build
Experimental animals: C57BL/6, 9-weeks-old, male
Modeling liver fibrosis via bile duct ligation. Model schematic, (A) Body weight, serum ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and TBIL levels were measured. (B) Representative images of the liver 4 weeks after bile duct ligation. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p<0.05, ***p<0.001, ****p<0.0001.
Histological analysis after bile duct ligation. Representative images (A) H&E staining and (B) sirius red staining showied increased liver fibrosis. (C) Positive collagen fiber signal area was significantly increased in mice with bile duct ligation. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p<0.05.