Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Bile Duct Ligation in Mice: Induction of Inflammatory Liver Injury and Fibrosis by Obstructive Cholestasis

Name: Bile Duct Ligation in Mice: Induction of Inflammatory Liver Injury and Fibrosis by Obstructive Cholestasis
Uploaded: 2026-06-17
Duration: 8 min 56 s
Description: In most vertebrates, the liver produces bile that is necessary to emulsify absorbed fats and enable the digestion of lipids in the small intestine as well ...

DOI: 10.3791/52438-v

What you'll learn

✓ Perform surgical bile duct ligation in mice under sterile conditions
✓ Induce obstructive cholestasis and measure time-dependent fibrotic response
✓ Assess inflammatory liver injury and morphological alterations post-ligation
✓ Collect tissue samples for histological and molecular analysis

Protocol

Disruption of bile flow results in severe inflammatory cholestatic liver injury with a characteristic time-dependent sequence of morphological alterations. Here we present a protocol for the surgical ligation of the common bile duct in mice that allows to induce a strong fibrotic response after 21 to 28 days.

Difficulty

advanced

Total time

~45 min/mouse for surgery; 21–28 days for full fibrotic response development

Model organism

Mouse (strain unspecified in abstract)

Biosafety

BSL-1

Steps

Prepare surgical instruments and anesthetic agents

Set up sterile surgical field, anesthetics, and monitoring equipment. Ensure all instruments are sterilized and workspace is prepared for aseptic technique.

▶ 01:54

Anesthetize mouse and prepare surgical site

Administer anesthesia to the mouse, perform shaving and antiseptic preparation of the abdominal area. Verify adequate anesthesia depth before incision.

▶ 03:17

Ligate common bile duct and close incision

Make midline abdominal incision, expose and isolate the common bile duct, ligate with suture or clip, and close the abdominal wall in layers. Maintain sterility throughout procedure.

▶ 05:43

Observe obstructive cholestasis-induced inflammatory changes

Monitor mice over 21–28 days for development of fibrotic response and inflammatory liver injury. Collect tissue samples at terminal timepoint for histological examination.

▶ 07:33

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