DEN-induced rat model reproduces key features of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Using RNA-seq analysis, we study a DEN-induced HCC rat model during fibrosis progression and HCC development with special focus on liver inflammatory microenvironment. RNA-seq results show that DEN-induced liver tumors in rat model share remarkable molecular characteristics with human HCC, especially with HCC associated with high proliferation. In conclusion, our study provides detailed insight into the hepatocarcinogenesis in a commonly used model of HCC, facilitating the future use of this model for preclinical testing.本研究通过RNA测序（RNA-seq）分析，针对二乙基亚硝胺（DEN）诱导的肝细胞癌（Hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC）大鼠模型，在纤维化进展与肝细胞癌发生发展过程中开展研究，并重点聚焦肝脏炎症微环境。RNA测序结果显示，该大鼠模型中DEN诱导的肝脏肿瘤与人类肝细胞癌（HCC）具备显著相似的分子特征，尤其与高增殖型肝细胞癌高度匹配。综上，本研究深入解析了这一常用肝细胞癌模型的肝癌发生机制，为该模型未来应用于临床前测试提供了重要助力。