Bucillamine improves hepatic microcirculation and reduces hepatocellular injury after liver warm ischaemia-reperfusion injury.
BACKGROUND
Liver transplantation and resection surgery involve a period of ischaemia and reperfusion to the liver which initiates an inflammatory cascade resulting in liver and remote organ injury. Bucillamine is a low-molecular-weight thiol antioxidant that is capable of rapidly entering cells.


METHODS
The effect of bucillamine was studied in a rat model of liver ischaemia-reperfusion injury with 45 min of partial (70%) liver ischaemia and at 3 and 24 h of reperfusion. Controls included ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) only, sham and bucillamine alone (without ischaemia reperfusion). Liver injury was assessed by serum transaminases (AST and ALT). Sinusoidal blood flow and hepatocyte apoptosis were measured using intravital microscopy (IVM).


RESULTS
The hepatocellular injury of I/R produced a markedly elevated serum AST which was reduced with bucillamine (2072.5 +/- 511.79 vs. 932 +/- 200.8, P < 0.05) at 3 h reperfusion. Bucillamine treatment with I/R also increased parenchymal blood flow [red blood cell (RBC) velocity 242.66 +/- 16.86 vs. 181.11 +/- 17.59, at the end of 3 h of reperfusion) and reduced hepatocyte necrosis/apoptosis at 3 h as well as 24 h (P > 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Bucillamine reduces the hepatocellular injury of liver ischaemia reperfusion and improves parenchymal perfusion.
Junnarkar
Sameer P
SP
University Department of Surgery, Royal Free Campus, Royal Free and University College Medical School, UCL and Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
Tapuria
Niteen
N
Dutt
Neelanjana
N
Fuller
Barry
B
Seifalian
Alexander M
AM
Davidson
Brian R
BR