title: How much oxidative stress exists without the liver?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress (OS) represents an important pathogenetic factor of acute liver failure and chronic liver diseases. To elucidate whether the liver itself is a major source of OS, the present study was performed to assess OS and antioxidant status in an anhepatic porcine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six pigs underwent a total hepatectomy, five pigs were sham operated. OS and antioxidant status were evaluated by measuring plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), xanthine oxidase (XO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). They were sampled at the start of the experiment, immediately after surgery, and then at 8 and 16 hours post hepatectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased concentrations of MDA were observed in anhepatic pigs postoperatively (p < 0.02) and 8 hours after hepatectomy (p < 0.003) compared to controls. XO activity increased soon after hepatectomy (22.6 ± 5.4 mU/L versus 3.3 ± 2.1 mU/L in sham animals, p < 0.03) but returned to normal values in the further course. SOD levels did not change during the observational period in both groups. FRAP values rose significantly in the anhepatic animals compared to control (p < 0.015). A significant positive correlation was observed between MDA levels and FRAP levels (Spearman's ρ = 0.62; p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings show that hepatectomy does not completely prevent the occurrence of OS because the production and regulation of OS are also located outside the liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thiel
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katt
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schenk
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grasshoff
authors.affiliation: Department or Neurosurgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Morgalla
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Angiology, Nephrology, Pathobiochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Königsrainer
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thiel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species