The experimental investigation into the expression of fibroblast 3 growth factor receptor in the hepatic tissues during the development of hepatic cirrhosis in rats

Objective To monitor the expression of Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3(FGFR3) in hepatic tissues during the development of hepatic cirrhosis in rats.Methods Seventy male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups.Ten rats served as the control group and other rats were employed as the liver cirrhosis models.The models of hepatic cirrhosis was established by gradually increasing the frequency and dosage of intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride(CCl4).The body weight,ratio between liver weight and body weight and serum ALT were measured.Hepatic pathological status by HE staining and argyrophil granules staining were observed.The expression of FGFR3 gene and protein in hepatic cirrhotic tissues were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot during the development of cirrhosis.Results The serum ALT level in the group with hepatic cirrhosis was significantly higher than that of the control group(P0.01).The ratio between liver weight and body weight in the group with hepatic cirrhosis was significantly lower than that of the control group(P0.01).The survival rate in the group with hepatic cirrhosis was also lower significantly than that of the control group(P0.01).Pathological manifestation of hepatic cirrhosis was observed in the experimental group.The expression of FGFR3 gene and protein increased gradually during the development of hepatic cirrhosis.Conclusions The method of gradually increasing the frequency and dosage of intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride was effective and of low-cost for establishing the model of hepatic cirrhosis in rats.The dynamic expression of FGFR3 could reflect the degree of hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis.