title: Tert-Butylhydroquinone Protects Liver Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats Through Nrf2-Activating Anti-Oxidative Activity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a serious complication that occurs in surgical operations such as hepatectomy and liver transplantation. NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that has been proven against inflammatory and oxidative injury. Tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a widely used Nrf2 activator, is a common food preservative. In this study, we attempt to investigate the potential protective role of tBHQ in hepatic I/R injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) sham+vehicle group; (2) I/R+vehicle group; (3) sham+tBHQ group; and (4) I/R+tBHQ group. The vehicle or tBHQ was divided into three injections at intervals of 12 hours in a model of hepatic I/R injury. Fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to examine Nrf2 mRNA and protein expression. The concentrations of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity were accessed, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the sham+vehicle group, Nrf2 expression, malondialdehyde, content and serum alanine aminotransferase were significantly increased in the I/R+vehicle group, whereas superoxide dismutase activity was significantly decreased. However, in the I/R+tBHQ group, tBHQ ameliorated tissue damage; promoted glutathione-S-transferase, quinine oxidoreductase 1, and glutamate cysteine ligase inductions; and regained redox homeostasis in comparison with the I/R+vehicle group. Furthermore, the present study indicated that preconditioning with tBHQ suppressed the I/R-induced increase in the apoptotic protein levels of caspase-3, as well as the I/R-induced decrease in the levels of anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  t-BHQ exerted potent anti-inflammatory effects in I/R-induced liver injury, and tBHQ would be a new effectively therapeutic measure for preventing hepatic I/R injury during liver surgery.
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: X-P
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Research Center of National Health Ministry on Transplantation Medicine Engineering and Technology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: X-J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Q-Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Research Center of National Health Ministry on Transplantation Medicine Engineering and Technology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Q-W
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: C-X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Y-F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan University, Transplant Center of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on Transplantation, Wuhan, China; Research Center of National Health Ministry on Transplantation Medicine Engineering and Technology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address: 372187830@qq.com.
authors.forename: Q-F
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006873:Hydroquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D006873:Hydroquinones; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D020011:Protective Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D008315:Malondialdehyde; C018855:2-tert-butylhydroquinone; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D053148:Caspase 3