Background/aims: Liver function appears to be well maintained in old age. However, the current state of knowledge about liver aging processes is incomplete. In this study, using extracorporeal liver perfusion model, we evaluated the differences between liver function in young and old rats.
Methodology: Livers were harvested from groups of young (2 months) and old (12 months) rats and perfused for 2 hours with a perfusion fluid. After 10, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes of perfusion, glucose concentration as well as enzyme levels (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactic dehydrogenase) were measured. On completion of perfusion all bile produced was collected.
Results: All measured parameters changed significantly as a function of perfusion time in both groups. Changes in enzyme levels were most evident between 90 and 120 minutes of perfusion. In contrast to old rats, where glucose concentration decreased during all time periods of perfusion, in young rats the glucose concentration increased at the beginning of perfusion.
Conclusions: The results suggest that livers obtained from older rats are damaged to a greater extent and are more susceptible to unfavorable conditions during perfusion than livers obtained from younger rats. Also, single measurement of liver enzymes is not enough for complete liver function assessment.