Expression of Inflammatory and Regenerative Genes in a Model of Liver Ischemia/Reperfusion and Partial Hepatectomy.

Purpose/aim: Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) describes the paradox of additional tissue injury caused by reperfusion. The aim of this survey was to investigate the mRNA expression of genes exerting their inflammatory and regenerative reaction in a porcine model of I/R and extended hepatectomy.

Material And Methods: Twelve pigs were used, weighing 30-35 kg in average, which were allocated in two groups: the I/R group with eight pigs and the sham-operated (control) one with four pigs. The I/R group underwent portacaval anastomosis and Pringle maneuver followed by extended hepatectomy. The hepatoduodenal ligament was occluded for 150 min and the liver remnant was reperfused for 24 hours. Blood samples were steadily received throughout the surgical procedure, where hepatic biopsies were taken for pathological evaluation. Animals were sacrificed in 24 hours after the onset of reperfusion.

Results: Between the two groups, statistically significant differences were noticed in serum values of AST, ALT, ALP, and total bilirubin in the early and late phase of reperfusion. The mRNA expression of iNOS, IL-1b, and TGF-a did not increase significantly in the I/R group. Conversely, the mRNA modification of IL-6, STAT-3, and E-selectin demonstrated significantly increased expression in I/R animals.

Conclusions: In the present survey, a new I/R swine model was proposed and specific parameters were analyzed, revealing differences between the study groups.