ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the impact of the ischemic postconditioning on the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/IL-6/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)-3 signal pathway of liver regeneration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety healthy clean grade male Sprague-Dawley rats weighting 230 to 280 g were selected and assigned into three groups randomly: group I subtotal hepatectomy (SH), group II ischemia reperfusion (IR), group III ischemic postconditioning (IPO). The left and middle liver was resected, and the remnant liver was treated as followed: the blood flow was not blocked in SH group, but blocked 30 minutes in IR group, then reperfused; IPO groups received three cycles of 30 s-30 s intermittent interruptions of blood flow at onset of reperfusion. At 1, 6, 12, 24, 48 h after reperfusion, the serum TNF-α, IL-6 was detected and the mRNA of cyclinD1, Cdk4, STAT-3 was assayed by real-time PCR as well as the protein expression of cyclinD1 and Cdk4 by Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with SH group, the expression of IL-6 declined at each set time point in IR group (t = 5.076 to 8.334, P = 0.000), but the content of TNF-α increased in early stage (1 to 12 h) (t = 2.972 to 7.215, P = 0.000 - 0.014). The expression of STAT-3, cyclinD1 and Cdk4 mRNA and protein of cyclinD1 and Cdk4 at 24 and 48 h after reperfusion were lower in IR group than in SH group (t = 2.857 to 6.684, P = 0.000 to 0.017). However, there was a significant decrease in TNF-α from 1 to 12 h after reperfusion (t = 2.995 to 4.112, P = 0.002 to 0.017), but a significant increase in IL-6 in IPO group than in IR group (t = 2.458 to 3.543, P = 0.005 to 0.034). The expression of STAT-3, cyclinD1, Cdk4 mRNA and protein of cyclinD1 and Cdk4 at 24 and 48 h after reperfusion were all increased in IPO group in comparison with in IR group (t = 2.383 to 6.803, P = 0.000 to 0.038).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The ischemic postconditioning could promote the remnant liver regeneration after subtotal hepatectomy with ischemia reperfusion injury. Its mechanism relates with the activation of the TNF-α/IL-6/STAT-3 signal pathway of and the cyclinD1-Cdk4 complex which enhances the proliferation of hepatocyte.</p>