Background: In liver transplantation, up to 10% of early liver failures are due to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IR). IR also increases the incidence of acute and chronic rejection, which can lead to retransplantation. Furthermore, due to the current shortage of organs, extended criteria donor liver grafts have gained increasing acceptance for transplantation. In this context, strategies to minimize IR injury are necessary. Previous studies have shown that ischemic preconditioning (short, controlled IR periods applied to the organ before prolonged ischemia) reduces reperfusion-associated damage in normal mice. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of ischemic preconditioning in obese (ob/ob) mouse livers in an IR model.
Methods: Male ob/ob mice (8 weeks old) were divided into three groups: SHAM Group (N=5): Animals underwent the same surgical procedure but without hepatic ischemia; IR Group (N=5): Animals were subjected to 30 minutes of hepatic ischemia followed by 1 hour and 30 minutes of reperfusion; PC+IR Group (N=5): Animals underwent ischemic preconditioning (two 5-minute episodes of ischemia followed by two 5-minute episodes of reperfusion) prior to the prolonged 30-minute ischemia and 1 hour and 30 minutes of reperfusion. Biochemical markers of liver function were evaluated in this hepatic IR experimental model using C57BL/6 ob/ob mice.
Results: The SHAM group showed the following levels of AST, ALT, and Alkaline Phosphatase (186±1 U/L; 74±19 U/L; 188±20 U/L, respectively). While the IR group exhibited elevated levels of these markers, the PC+IR group showed effective liver protection by reducing these markers (AST: 328±9 U/L vs. 200±10 U/L; ALT: 170±10 U/L vs. 117±5 U/L; Alkaline Phosphatase: 284±27 U/L vs. 211±10 U/L, respectively; p<0.05 comparing SHAM vs. IR; p<0.05 comparing IR vs. PC+IR; no statistical difference between SHAM and PC+IR).
Conclusion: This study presents preliminary findings. However, animals in the PC+IR group showed lower levels of liver function markers, suggesting a potentially protective effect on the organ.