Portal Hypertension Induced Changes in Splenic Gene Expression

Splenomegaly is caused by several pathological conditions, including portal hypertension, which is most frequently caused by chronic liver disease (e.g., liver cirrhosis). The detailed mechanisms through which portal pressure induces splenomegaly and the precise pathophysiological conditions in portal hypertension-induced splenomegaly remain to be fully elucidated. We used microarrays to identify the differential gene expression underlying the portal hypertension-induced splenomegaly.脾肿大（Splenomegaly）可由多种病理状态引发，其中最常见的诱因为慢性肝病（如肝硬化（liver cirrhosis））所致的门静脉高压（portal hypertension）。门静脉高压诱发脾肿大的具体分子机制，以及门静脉高压性脾肿大的确切病理生理特征，目前仍有待全面阐明。本研究采用基因芯片（microarrays）技术，鉴定门静脉高压诱导脾肿大过程中的差异基因表达（differential gene expression）特征。