Research Article Effect of Fluid Shear Stress on Portal Vein Remodeling in a Rat Model of Portal Hypertension

Copyright © 2015 Bin Wen et al.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Aims. To explore the effects and mechanisms of fluid shear stress on portal vein remodeling in a rat model of portal hypertension. Methods. Subcutaneous injections of CCl4 were given to establish a rat model of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Biomechanical technology was adopted to determine the dynamic changes of haemodynamic indices and fluid shear stress. Nitric oxide (NO), synthase (NOS), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) of the portal vein blood were measured. Changes in geometric structure and ultrastructure of the portal vein were observed using optical and electron microscopy. Results. After the CC14 injections, rat haemodynamics were notably altered. From week 4 onwards, PVP, PVF, and PVR gradually and significantly increased