Influence of different total parenteral nutrition support upon hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats]

This study was designed to investigate the effects of different TPN on liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats. Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. Groups A and B (normal rats) received BCAA-enriched TPN (45% BCAAs) and standard TPN (24% BCAAs) respectively after 34% hepatectomy; Groups C and D (rats with cirrhosis of liver) received the same TPN as Groups A and B received respectively after 34% hepatectomy. On the third day after operation, all rats were killed and specimens of liver and blood were taken for measurement of activity of liver regeneration. The results showed that DNA synthesis rate and mitosis rate in Groups A and B were significantly greater than those in Groups C and D respectively; RLR, DNA synthesis rate and mitosis rate in Groups A and C were significantly higher than those in Groups B and D respectively. These suggest that the effect of the same TPN on liver regeneration in normal rats is better than that in cirrhosis rats and that BCAA-enriched TPN can provide more excellent supplementation than standard TPN can do either in normal liver or cirrhosis liver after partial hepatectomy.