The Role of Akt in Liver Regeneration

Objective To study the role of PI3K/Akt pathway in liver regeneration in mice.Methods The mouse model of liver regeneration was made by twothird partial hepatectomy (PH).To inhibit PI3K activity in mice,wortmannin was given intraperitoneally.The phosphorylation of Akt was measured by Western blotting; The mRNA levels of proliferation cell nuclear antigen PCNA were detected by RTPCR.Results The expression of PCNA markedly increased after 48 h of PH,indicating that the liver regeneration occured.The phosphorylation of Akt increased after 24 h of PH.Wortmannin,a specific inhibitor of PI3K significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt as well as the expression of PCNA.Conclusion PI3K/Akt pathway plays an important role in liver regeneration in mice.