Liver pathology and cell proliferation after octreotide administration following partial hepatectomy in rats - An experimental study

Octreotide is a somatostatin analog introduced for clinical use that inhibits the growth of various tumors in rats. This study investigates liver pathology after octreotide treatment following partial (2/3) hepatectomy in rats. Thirty rats, weighing 250-300 g underwent partial hepatectomy and were divided in to two groups. Group A (N = 25) received octreotide subcutaneously [2 mug Sandostatin (Sandoz) in 1 ml normal saline every 12 hr for 15 days]. Group B (N = 5) was injected with 1 ml normal saline subcutaneously every 12 hr for the same time period; animals in this group were used as controls. At the end of the experiment rats were sacrificed and liver tissue was obtained for pathologic examination. Liver sections from group A (octreotide administration) showed extensive cholangiolar and fibrous tissue proliferation in the hepatectomy area, and hypertrophy and swelling of Kupffer cells in the liver parenchyma. Sections from the hepatectomy surface from group B (controls) displayed signs of liver regeneration. Proliferation activity (Ki-67(+) cells) was higher in the cholangiolar epithelium in group A and in hepatocytes in group B. In conclusion, the results of this study show that octreotide inhibits liver regeneration, which occurs after partial hepatectomy in rats and enhances hyperplasia of cholangiolar and fibrous tissue.