Effects of ethyl pyruvate pretreatment on liver injury in rats undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation

Objective To investigate the effects of ethyl pyruvate (EP) pretreatment on the liver injury in rats undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).Methods Forty male adult SD rats,weighing 220-250 g,served as liver transplant donors and recipients.The recipient rats were randomly divided into 3 groups ( n =8 each):sham operation group (group S),OLT group and EP group.Group S only underwent simple laparotomy.The model of OLT was established according to the modified Kamada's two-cuff technique in groups OLT and EP.EP 40 mg/kg was injected via the caudal vein at 1 h before skin incision in group EP.Venous blood samples were taken at 2 h of neohepatic phase to determine the serum activities of alanine amino-transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino-transferase (AST).Hepatic specimens were obtained to detect the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD).Results Compared with group S,the levels of serum ALT and AST and MDA were significantly increased and the activity of SOD was significantly decreased in groups OLT and EP ( P ＜0.05 or 0.01).The levels of serum ALT and AST and MDA were significantly lower and the activity of SOD was significantly higher in group EP than in group OLT ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01 ).Conclusion Ethyl pyruvate pretreatment can attenuate the liver injury in rats undergoing OLT. Key words: Pyruvates;  Liver transplantation;  Liver;  Reperfusion injury