Impact of Liver Sympathetic Nervous System on Liver Fibrosis and Regeneration After Bile Duct Ligation in Rats

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) affects many functions of the body. SNS fibers regulate many aspects of liver function, repair, and regeneration. However, in the model of bile duct ligation (BDL) in rats, the kind of impact caused by the regulation of liver SNS on liver fibrosis and liver regeneration is unclear. The main research objective of this experiment is to examine the effect of SNS on liver fibrosis and liver regeneration. Twenty-four male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were assigned randomly to four groups. These groups included the sham surgery group (sham), model group (BDL), 6-hydroxydopamine group (BDL+6-OHDA), and spinal cord injury group (BDL+SCI). In the sham group, only exploratory laparotomy was performed without BDL. In the 6-OHDA group, 6-OHDA was used to remove sympathetic nerves after BDL. In the spinal cord injury group, rats underwent simultaneous BDL and spinal cord injury. After 3 weeks of feeding, four groups of rats were euthanized using high-dose anesthesia without pain. Moreover, liver tissue and blood were taken to detect liver fibrosis and regeneration indicators. After intraperitoneal injection of 6-OHDA into BDL rats, liver fibrosis indicators decreased. The administration of the injection effectively alleviated liver fibrosis and inhibited liver regeneration. However, after SCI surgery in BDL rats, liver fibrosis indicators increased. This resulted in exacerbating liver fibrosis and activating liver regeneration. The SNS plays a role in contributing to the liver injury process in the rat BDL model. Therefore, regulating the SNS may become a novel method for liver injury treatment.