Effects of tetrandrine on ischemia/reperfusion injury in mouse liver.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) may cause acute inflammatory damage, producing significant organ dysfunction, an important problem for liver transplantation. Previous studies have demonstrated that Tetrandrine (Tet), a component of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, shows protective effects to scavenge active oxygen radicals and inhibit lipid peroxidation. In this study, we examined whether Tet has a protective effect on mouse hepatic IRI.


METHODS
Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into sham, ischemic, and Tet-treated groups; 90 minutes of warm ischemia was performed on the left liver lobe. Tet (20 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally at 1 hour before ischemia with a second intravenous dose was injected just before reperfusion. Blood and liver samples were collected at 6 hours after reperfusion. We analyzed the hepatocellular injury, oxidative stress, neutrophil recruitment, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) generation associated with hepatic IRI.


RESULTS
Undergoing 90 minutes of ischemia and 6 hours reperfusion caused dramatic injuries in mouse livers. Administration of Tet (20 mg/kg) reduced serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); decreased liver edema, TNF-alpha, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents; and ameliorated the down-regulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Tet showed protective effects on mouse hepatic IRI.
Cheng
F
F
Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China.
Li
Y
Y
Feng
L
L
Li
S
S
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology; D004487:Edema; D008102:Liver Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C009438:tetrandrine; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009195:Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase