Veterinary Pathology - Cell Degeneration

Introduction

Cellular Injury - Carbon Tetrachloride Toxicosis

Aim:

To examine the effedts of a single large dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) on rat liver over a seven day period, as an iollustration of the processes of reversible cell injury.

Method:

1. Ten rats were lightly anaethetised, weighed and the dose of CCl4 calculated for each

2. Each rat recieved a 1:1 CCl4/parraffin micture at the rate of 0.5ml/100gm body weight by stomach tube.

3. Rats were marked with dye for identification purposes on the right ear, or left ear, or back , or tail and the returned to their cages

4. Two rats were euthansed with an overdose of chloroform at each of the following times: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 5 and Day 7. On Day 7, two untreated control animals were also euthanased.

5. Each cadarver was weighed, pinned on a cork board, the abdomen opened and the liver examined.

6. The entire liver was removed from each rat and weighed. The liver weight of each rat was calculated as a percentage of body weight.

7. Histological sections of liver were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin, Periodic Acid Schiffs, Periodic Acid Schiffs with diastase pretreatment (diastase breaks down glycogen) and Oil red O, for each time interval.

Cases

Carbontetrachloride

Review Questions