A total-continuous portal vein fistula in gastrointestinal and toxicology research

A method for the total collection of portal vein blood over extended periods has been developed. The method has been applied in gastrointestinal toxicology research involving rats. The method facilitated quantitative recovery of portal vein blood for 120 min for measurement and identification of absorbed radiolabeled components derived from a toxic lipphilic pesticide placed in the lumen of the small intestine. The method can be applied to any substance—nutrient, anutrient, xenobiotic chemical, or endocrine factor—absorbed into the portal vein from the gastrointestinal tract. The method (a) provides for collection of compounds absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract before distribution to nondigestive tissues (i.e., liver), (b) allows measurement of the compounds absorbed without the need to monitor flow rate, and (c) facilitates accumulation of sufficient material from the total portal circulation for analyses when submicrogram quantities are absorbed. The latter two features are important but impossible to attain with small samples of portal blood and are crucial in research with minute quantities of substrate. These features become requirements in metabolism and toxicology research. The method involves replacement of the portal blood with a suspension of perfluorohydrocarbons to substitute for the major functions of natural blood. The total-continuous portal vein fistula makes it possible to investigate metabolic and transport phenomena in live animals which previously could be explored only by in vitro methods. The method may be applied to conscious animals with further refinements.