モルモットに肝リピドーシス(脂肪肝)が好発し、人の非アルコール性脂肪性肝疾患(NAFLD)の実験動物として多数の研究でも使用されています〔Ye et al.2003,Zhang et al.2013〕。モルモットのリポタンパク質代謝、肝臓でのコレステロールの合成、貯蔵、異化作用、肝臓の酵素活性などが人が類似し〔Fernandez et al.1989,Sharman et al.2008,Fernandez et al.1995,Fernandez et al.1990,Fernandez 1995〕、さらにモルモットは、水化物制限〔deOgburn 2012〕、脂肪酸組成〔Torres-Gonzalez et al.2007〕、食物繊維〔Fernandez 1995〕などのエサの関与が、人と同様の方法で脂肪肝を発生させ〔Torres-Gonzalez 2008,Leite et al.2009〕、脂肪肝に関連する分子メカニズムと代謝経路の変化を理解するための有能なモデルになっています〔deOgburn 2015〕。
脂肪肝以外にも、グリコーゲン(糖源)変性、肝炎、うっ血肝、肝嚢胞、肝捻転〔Waugh et al.2001〕、肝臓の腫瘤(結節性過形成〔Steel 2001〕や腫瘍)などが発生します。なお、モルモットでは肝臓腫瘍の発生は稀ですが〔Blumenthal et al.1965,Kitchen et al.1975〕、肝細胞腺腫、海綿状血管腫、胆嚢乳頭腫、リンパ腫などの発生報告があります〔Wagner et al.1976,Jelínek 2003〕。
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霍野 晋吉 
