Changes of inflammatory cytokines in rat liver transplantation model under different functional warm ischemic durations

Objective To explore the changes and significance of hepatic cytokines during ischemia and reperfusion in rats undergoing donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation in different functional warm ischemic durations. Methods Maastricht Ⅲ DCD liver transplantation was simulated and a rat model of functional warm ischemia established. DCD liver transplantation was established by cutting diaphragm. There were four groups of functional warm ischemia 0/15/30 min and living donor liver transplantation control. Liver tissues and serum samples were obtained after donor liver acquisition and 6-hour reperfusion respectively. Luminex liquid chip was employed for detecting the concentrations of 23 cytokines in liver tissue, superoxide dismutase or malondialdehyde (SOD/MDA) expression in liver tissue and alanine transaminase or aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) expression in sera. And hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was utilized for detecting liver tissue damage. Results The levels of cytokines in liver tissues during ischemia and reperfusion were significantly different in different functional warm ischemic durations. SOD/MDA in liver tissue, AST/ALT in sera and pathological examinations also showed that, with the prolongation of functional warm ischemic duration, the degree of liver tissue injury gradually aggravated. Conclusions Functional warm ischemic duration has a significant effect on cytokines during ischemia and reperfusion in rat DCD liver transplantation. This phenomenon can help us further elucidate the mechanism of ischemia-reperfusion injury and provide new ideas for preventing ischemia-reperfusion injury during DCD liver transplantation. Key words: Liver transplantation; Ischemia reperfusion; Cytokine