Abstract
Currently, there are at least 70 pure domestic pig breeds, but only certain breeds areused in biomedical research. The domestic pig liver is suitable for preclinical researchbecause its size, physiology, and anatomy are similar to that of the human liver; inaddition, there is a high degree of genetic similarity between the two species.
Forplanning experiments and identifying improvements in both invasive and noninvasivemethods of liver disease management, the morphological similarities and dissimilar-ities of the pig liver to its human counterpart must be taken into consideration alongwith sexual dimorphism and interindividual and interspecific variability. Recent his-tological evaluations based on stereological methods enable precise quantitativemorphological estimates and guarantee their unbiased accuracy.
The results thereofare crucial for revealing and assessing histological changes and can contribute to theoptimization of study designs. New trends in computed tomography data processinghave also been introduced.
This review article summarizes the newest trends andfindings in the field of porcine liver anatomy and histology as applicable to preclinicalresearch.