Portal vein arterialization used in partial hepatectomy maintains liver regeneration

Abstract

Portal vein arterialization (PVA) has been used in some hepatobiliary surgeries and the liver transplants. There is considerable debate regarding the effect of PVA on the liver regeneration. This study was to investigate the effect of PVA on the liver regeneration. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into PVA group (rats received 68% hepatectomy, right nephrectomy and PVA) and control group (rats received 68% hepatectomy and right nephrectomy) , and the serum and liver tissues were collected at designed time points. Serum ALT level was measured with an automatic biochemical analyzer. The proliferation of hepatocytes was detected by immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 and PCNA. TUNEL staining was done to detect the apoptosis of hepatocytes and the liver regeneration rate (LRR) was calculated. At 1, 4 and 7 days after surgery, the ALT level in the PVA group was similar to that in the control group (P>0.05), while it on day 2 was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). At 2 days after surgery, the number of Ki-67 and PCNA positive cells in the PVA group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). No significant difference in the proliferation was found between two groups at other time points. The number of apoptotic cells and LRR were also similar between two groups at different time points. PVA can initiate and maintain the proliferation of hepatocytes at the early stage following partial hepatectomy in rats. Key words: Portal vein arterialization; liver regeneration; liver resection.