Protective Effect of Octreotide Against Liver Ischemic Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Abstract

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI) is an inevitable complication during liver resection and liver transplantation. This study explored the effect of octreotide pretreatment on LIRI in rat model. Thirty male SD rats were included. They were divided into three groups: control group (sham operation plus saline treatment); ischemia/reperfusion group (IR group, ischemia/reperfusion operation plus saline treatment) and octreotide treatment group (IR + Oct group, ischemia/reperfusion operation plus octreotide treatment). The serum liver enzymes (ALT, AST) were tested to assess the liver damage in the rats. Light and electron microscopy was used to identify morphological alterations in each group. The expressions of HMGB1, RIP1 and RIP3 were measured by Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot. The levels of AST, ALT in IR group increased significantly (P < 0 05), and were significantly reduced by Octreotide pretreatment (P < 0 05). Morphology of control group remained grossly normal by transmission electron microscopy. While mitochondrial degeneration, cristae disruption, swelling, rupture was observed in IR group. The microscopic morphology of liver cells was basically normal and occasionally a small number of mitochondria were a little swelled in pretreatment with octreotide group. The expressions of HMGB1, RIP1 and RIP3 in pretreatment with octreotide were significantly down-regulated compared with those in pretreatment without octreotide (P < 0 001). The present study suggested that octreotide pretreatment play a protective role in LIRI, due to the decreased necrotizing apoptosis of hepatocytes. The mechanisms underlying these effects may be associated with the inhibition of HMGB1/RIP1/RIP3 necrotizing apoptosis signals.