Optimized protocol for an inducible rat model of liver tumor with chronic hepatocellular injury, inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.

Animal models of liver cancer are instrumental in the study of hepatocarcinogenesis and development of novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we describe steps to establish liver cancer in a rat model, via chronic administration of diethylnitrosamine. This causes liver tumors with a sequential progression of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and tumor formation, which closely mimics the development of human liver cancer. This protocol was optimized to significantly increase the incidence of liver tumor formation and reduce the duration of the procedure. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chen et al. (2020).