Animal Model of Liver Injury with Portal Hypertension

Liver injury and portal hypertension were induced by performing bile duct ligation in 400-g male Sprague-Dawley rats, as described.³¹ Briefly, bile duct ligation was performed by surgical isolation and ligation of the common bile duct. This model generates a portal-based fibrogenic response and portal hypertension 10 to 14 days after surgery.^{31, 32} In sham-operated rats, laparotomy without isolation and section of the bile duct was performed. All animals received humane care according to NIH guidelines; studies were approved by the Medical University of South Carolina Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.