Animal models of portal hypertension

Table 1 General considerations in choosing animal models (modified from Mullen & McCullough[4])

Reproducibility: % of animals reaching the desired state. Consistent time frame to attain desired state.

Specificity: The model should have the desired abnormality without other complicating problems.

Costs: Consider not only the direct costs, but also indirect costs such as animal housing (and, therefore, the time to achieve the desired state). An expensive but reliable model could be cheaper than a cheap but inconsistent model.

Safety: Animal and induction method should not be a risk for the personal.

Size: Blood volume sample requirements or need for vascular access may determine the size of the animal. The size also determines drug spending.

Ethics: Different ethics committees can have different opinions about the acceptability of one model.

Feasibility: Whether the laboratory has the expertise, manpower facilities, etc, to generate or handle the model.