Protective effects of mild hypothermia against hepatic injury in rats with acute liver failure.

Introduction And Objectives: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a severe disease which is associated with a high mortality rate. As mild hypothermia has been shown to have protective effects on the brain, this study aimed to determine whether it also provides protection to the liver in rats with ALF and to explore its underlying mechanism.

Materials And Methods: In total, 72 rats were divided into 3 groups: control group (CG, treated with normal saline), normothermia group (NG, treated with d-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide; d-GalN/LPS), and mild hypothermia group (MHG, treated with d-GalN/LPS and kept in a state of mild hypothermia, defined as an anal temperature of 32-35°C). The rats were examined at 4, 8, and 12h after treatment.

Results: Mild hypothermia treatment significantly reduced serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels and improved the liver condition of rats with d-GalN/LPS-induced ALF at 12h. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were significantly lower in the MHG than in the NG at 4h, but no significant differences were observed in the interleukin-10 levels between the NG and MHG at any time. The serum and hepatic levels of high mobility group box 1 were significantly lower in the MHG than in the NG at 8 and 12h. The protein expression levels of cytochrome C and cleaved-caspase 3 in hepatic tissues were significantly lower in the MHG than in the NG at 8h.

Conclusion: Mild hypothermia improved the liver conditions of rats with ALF via its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects.