Background/aims: Though liver grafts from non-heart-beating donors are now attracting much attention, these grafts inevitably suffer from severe warm ischemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TNF-alpha and IL-1 suppression on warm ischemia-reperfusion injury in a canine total hepatic vascular exclusion model.
Methodology: Warm ischemia was induced by 1-h total hepatic vascular exclusion with active splenofemuro-juglar bypass. Animals were divided into two groups. FR167653 (1 mg/kg/hr) was administered via the portal vein from 30 min prior to ischemia until 2 h after reperfusion to the FR group (n = 7), and a vehicle was administered to the control group (n = 7). The serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amino-transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and hyaluronic acid levels were measured. Hepatic tissue blood flow was also measured. Liver specimens were harvested for histological study, and polymorphonuclear neutrophils were counted.
Results: Serum liver enzymes were significantly (p < 0.05) lower, and hepatic tissue blood flow was kept significantly (p < 0.05) better in the FR group than in the control. Histological tissue damage was mild, and polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the FR group than in the control group.
Conclusions: FR167653 provides protective effects on hepatic warm ischemic injury in a canine total hepatic vascular exclusion model.