Acute liver failure after amanitin poisoning: a porcine model to detect prognostic markers for liver regeneration

• Published in: Hepatology international 2014, Vol.8 (1), p.128-136
• Main Authors: Thiel, Karolin, Schenk, Martin, Sipos, Bence, Sperveslage, Jan, Peter, Andreas, Morgalla, Matthias H., Grasshoff, Christian, Königsrainer, Alfred, Thiel, Christian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Colorectal Surgery; Hepatology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Surgery
• ISSN: 1936-0533; 1936-0541
• DOI: 10.1007/s12072-013-9491-7

Purpose Over 90 % of fatal mushroom poisoning occurs after ingestion of amanitin-containing species. This study aimed to investigate markers indicating spontaneous liver regeneration in a porcine acute liver failure (ALF) model after α-amanitin intoxication. Methods German landrace pigs received either 0.15 mg/kg ( n  = 5) α-amanitin intravenously or 0.35 mg/kg ( n  = 5) intraportally. Pigs were invasively monitored and kept under general anesthesia throughout the experiment. Laboratory parameters were analyzed every 8 h. Results ALF occurred in all animals (10/10) 41 ± 3 h after intoxication. All pigs receiving 0.35 mg/kg α-amanitin and one pig receiving 0.15 mg/kg α-amanitin died 57 ± 16 h after the primary onset of ALF. Four pigs of the 0.15 mg/kg intoxication group recovered spontaneously from ALF after 56 ± 6 h. Starting at 32 h after intoxication, significantly higher values of albumin and total plasma protein could be measured in surviving animals ( p