AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 246, Issue 4 331-G334, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Splanchnic arterial blood flow in rats with portacaval shunts
N. More, G. Lobosotomayor, B. Basse-Cathalinat, C. Bedin and C. Balabaud
With indirect methods, it was shown in rats with portacaval shunts (PCS)
that total hepatic blood flow (THBF) remained constant when expressed per
gram of liver. These results implied an absolute increase in hepatic
arterial blood flow (HABF). The aim of this study was to investigate HABF
and splanchnic nonhepatic arterial blood flow (SNHABF) with a direct method
(57Co microspheres) in PCS rats. One month after surgery, the following
results were obtained in PCS rats compared with pair-fed, sham-operated
rats: 1) liver mass atrophy was 42.3 +/- 10.9%, 2) HABF (ml X min-1 X g
liver-1) was increased by a factor of 2.7, 3) SNHABF (ml X min-1 X 100 g
body wt-1) was higher (9.8 +/- 3.3 vs. 5.6 +/- 2.7) (P less than 0.05) and
4) THBF (ml X min-1 X g liver-1) was decreased (1.36 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.85 +/-
0.86) but not significantly. Increases in HABF and SNHABF were not the
direct consequence of an increase in cardiac output as attested by a normal
cerebral blood flow (ml X min-1 X g organ-1) in PCS rats. In PCS rats, an
increase in HABF may prevent the further spread of liver necrosis. The
cause and the reason for an increase in SNHABF remain unknown.
