Objective To understand the advances in animal model and basic research of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS), and to provide new ideas for basic research and clinical application of ALPPS. Methods The literatures on the basic research and animal models of ALPPS were analyzed and reviewed. Results By March 2018, there were 19 articles related to ALPPS animal models published, including 11 rat model articles, 4 mouse model articles, 2 pig model articles, 1 rabbit model article, and 1 sheep model article. These models of ALPPS were mainly simulated in normal liver background (16 articles), only 2 mouse model of colorectal liver metastasis and 1 rat model of ALPPS under the sclerotic liver background on Chinese article. In cases of rat’s models, portal blood flow deprivation of 20%–90% was finished by portal vein ligation, and the liver was localized and segmented according to the ischemic line and the ligaments of the liver, and the liver partition was mostly sutured and electrocoagulated to stop bleeding. In the above models, remnant liver hyperplasia was observed after surgery. The main causes of hyperplasia were serum cytokines-mediated ［hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and so on］ enhancement of proliferative gene, and secondly preservation of the portal vein lobes to increase blood volume and to accelerate liver proliferation. ConclusionsThe animal model is the main tool to study the safety of ALPPS and liver regeneration, but there are still few studies in the models with liver cirrhosis and liver tumors. The mechanism of liver regeneration after ALPPS is still unclear, and more basic experiments and clinical cases are needed for further study.