Effect of remifentanil on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats with liver cirrhosis

Objective To investigate the effect of remifentanil on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats with liver cirrhosis.Methods Thirty male SD rats weighing 260-300 g were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =10 each):group liver cirrhosis (group C); group liver cirrhosis + hepatic I/R (group I/R) and group remifentanil (group R).Liver cirrhosis was produced in all animals in the 3 goups.I/R injury was induced by 20 min occlusion of the hepatic artery and portal vein entering the middle and left lobes of the liver followed by 4 h reperfusion at 1 week after establishment of hepatic cirrhosis in I/R and R groups.In group R remifentanil was infused iv at 1 μg·kg-1 ·min-1 starting from 10 min before ischemia until the end of 4 h reperfusion.Venous blood samples were taken from inferior vena cava at the end of 4 h reperfusion for measurement of serum ALT and AST activities.The animals were then sacrificed and liver specimens were taken from middle lobe for determination of Bcl-2 and Bax expression (by immuno-histochemistry) and hepatocyte apoptosis (by TUNEL) and microscopic examination.Apoptosis index (percentage of apoptotic cells) was calculated.Results I/R significantly increased serum ALT and AST activities,Bax expression and apoptosis index and decreased Bcl-2 expression in group I/R as compared with group C.Remifentanil significantly attenuated the I/R-induced changes in serum ALT and AST activities,Bax and Bcl-2 expression and apoptosis in group R as compared with group I/R.Remifentanil also ameliorated I/R-induced liver damage.Conclusion Remifentanil can auenuate hepatic I/R injury in rats with liver cirrhosis by up-regulating Bcl-2 expression and down-regulating Bax expression and inhibiting apoptosis. Key words: Piperidines;  Reperfusion injury;  Liver;  Liver cirrhosis,experimental