Effects of radix salvia miitiorrhizae on the apoptosis of hepatocytes during cold preservation and reperfusion injury in rat donor liver

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of radix salvia miltiorrhizae on the apoptosis of hepatoeytes during cold preservation and reperfusion injury in rat donor liver. Methods Forty male SD rats were divided into experimental group, control group and sham operation group. The rat model of liver transplantation was established according to the Kamada method. The grafts were preserved in lactated Ringer's solution with radix salvia miltiorrhizae in experimental group and in lactated Ringer's solution in control group for 5 hours, then they were transplanted orthotopically. Six hours after transplantation, the recipients were sacrificed, and the serum ALT and AST were detected by automatic biochemistry analyzer, the hepatocyte apoptosis by TUNEL, the expression of Bcl-2 and FasL protein by flow cytometry. The histopathological changes of the liver grafts were observed under light microscope. Results The levels of ALT and AST in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group after reperfusion. Compared with that in the control group, the apoptosis index of the hepatoeyte was signifieandy decreased in the experimental group ( F = 133.802, P 0.05). The histopathological injury of the liver grafts in the experimental group was significantly slighter than that in the control group. Conclusions Radix salvia mihiorrhizae inhibits the apoptosis of hepatocytes by increasing the Bcl-2 protein expression during cold preservation and reperfusion injury, so it has a protective effect on the liver graft against ischemia reperfusion injury. Key words: Radix salvia miltiorrhizae; Liver transplantation; Ischemia reperfusion injury; Cell apoptosis; Rat