Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Many factors can influence the regeneration ability of liver. However, whether the effect of gender is one of the important factors during the liver repairing is uncertain.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the hepatic regenerative capacity between male and female mice after chemical injuries.
METHODS: Mouse models of acute chemical liver injury were established by carbon tetrachloride subcutaneous injection. 120 mice were divided into two groups: glycogen staining group and 5-bromodeoxyuridine group, 60 mice in each group, half male and half female. The intact liver was removed to be weighed on 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days. The mice were weighed before operation.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The liver/body mass ratio in female mice was recovered at 7 days, but the ratio of the male mice was decreased. There was no distinct difference in the liver/body mass ratio between different genders at different time points (P > 0.05). The main injured sites of the liver induced by carbon tetrachloride was portal area and board area around the hepatic lobule, the liver cells presented with fatty degeneration, and the spotty necrosis was seen in the liver tissue. The female mice glycogen staining was darker than male group at 1, 5 and 7 days (P < 0.05). The liver 5-bromodeoxyuridine labeling index of female mice was higher than that of male mice at 3 days after liver injury (P < 0.05). There was no difference at 1, 5 and 7 days (P > 0.05). As a result, the recover ability after liver injury of female mice is more obvious than that of male mice, especially at 7 days, so different gender mice has different recover ability after liver injury.