Comparative Med
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Although valuable information has been gained using a rodent partial hepatectomy model to assess liver regeneration, the ability to apply this research to humans remains uncertain. Thus, liver regeneration was assessed in a non-human primate, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). ⋯ Sixty percent partial hepatectomy in rhesus macaques appears to be an excellent model for the study of hepatocellular regeneration. The procedure was safe, and effectively induced liver regeneration. In addition, laparoscopic-guided liver biopsy allows observation of changes in the liver remnant as regeneration develops, and provides excellent tissue specimens for analysis. Thus, this rhesus macaque partial hepatectomy model will allow further characterization of liver regeneration in a species closer to humans.