title: Anti-inflammatory liposomes have no impact on liver regeneration in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical resection is the gold standard in treatment of hepatic malignancies, giving the patient the best chance to be cured. The liver has a unique capacity to regenerate. However, an inflammatory response occurs during resection, in part mediated by Kupffer cells, that influences the speed of regeneration. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a Kupffer cell targeted anti-inflammatory treatment on liver regeneration in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two sets of animals, each including four groups of eight rats, were included. Paired groups from each set received treatment with placebo, low dose dexamethasone, high dose dexamethasone or low dose anti-CD163 dexamethasone. Subsequently, the rats underwent 70% partial hepatectomy. The two sets were evaluated on postoperative day 2 or 5, respectively. Blood was drawn for circulating markers of inflammation and liver cell damage; liver tissue was sampled for analysis of regeneration rate and proliferation index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The high dose dexamethasone group had significantly lower body and liver weight than the placebo and anti-CD163-dex groups. There were no differences in liver regeneration rates between groups. Hepatocyte proliferation was completed faster in the placebo group, although this was not significant. The anti-CD163-dex group showed increased blood levels of albumin and alanine aminotransferase and a diminished inflammatory response in terms of significantly reduced haptoglobin, α2-macroglobulin and Interleukine-6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low dose dexamethasone targeted to Kupffer cells does not affect histological liver cell regeneration after 70% hepatectomy in rats, but reduces the inflammatory response judged by circulating markers of inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Betina Norman
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Jepsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kasper Jarlhelt
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anders Riegels
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.affiliation: Stereology & Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Centre for Stochastic Geometry and Advanced Bioimaging, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jens Randel
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nyengaard
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamilton-Dutoit
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Svendsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Etzerodt
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Holger Jon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren Kragh
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Moestrup
authors.affiliation: Affinicon ApS, Aarhus, Denmark; Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jonas Heilskov
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Graversen
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Frank Viborg
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Mortensen
keywords: CD-163-Dexamethasone; Hepatic surgery; Liver regeneration