Early changes of graft function, cytokines and superoxide dismutase serum levels after donor liver denervation and Kupffer cell depletion in a rat-to-rat liver transplantation model.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic reperfusion injury may cause acute inflammatory damage, producing significant organ dysfunction, and is an important problem in liver transplantation. This experiment aimed to study early changes of hepatic function after donor liver denervation and Kupffer cell depletion in rat-to-rat liver transplantation and to evaluate the effect of pre-treatment on liver reperfusion injury. METHODS: Donor rats were divided into four groups: control group; group G was pre-treated with gadolinium chloride (G), an inhibitor of Kupffer cells; group H with hexamethonium (H), a sympathetic ganglionic blocking agent; and group HG, with combined H and G pre-treatment. Under the same conditions, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of recipient rats were assessed at 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours after liver transplantation. Histological studies of the grafts were compared. RESULTS: HG pre-treatment significantly decreased ALT, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels, increased AKBR and SOD levels, and demonstrated less pathological damage at 8, 16 and 24 hours compared with the control group. Similar trends were also found in the other groups (G and H). However, the differences among them were not significant at 4 post-operative hours. CONCLUSIONS: Donor denervation and Kupffer cell depletion had preventive effect on liver reperfusion injury. HG pre-treatment is a feasible and reproducible method to protect grafts from reperfusion injury.