Recombinant human erythropoietin preconditioning prevents expression of blood NF-κB early after liver transplantation / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the influence of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) preconditioning on the liver function and expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) during early stage following liver transplantation, and to investigate the possible mechanism of rhEPO preconditioning on ischemia-reperfusion injury after liver transplantation. Methods: Twenty-six patients with advanced hepatic cirrhosis were randomly divided into two groups(n= 13) : the rhEPo pre-treatment group received subcutaneous injection of rhEPO 100 U/kg at 1, 3 and 5 d before liver transplantation, and the control group received 2 ml normal saline in the same manner. The peripheral blood samples were harvested at 1, 2, 4 and 6 h after blood supply recovery in the donator liver to examine the hepatic functions. The NF-κB p65 expression in the peripheral blood samples were examined by Western blotting analysis, the TNF-α level in the blood was detected by ABC enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Serum ALT and AST were also determined. Results: The liver function indices and the levels of serum NF-κB p65, TNF-α in the rhEPO pretreatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Pre-treatment with rhEPO can inhibit hepatic inflammation early after liver transplantation, protecting hepatic function and reducing ischemia-reperfusion injury after liver transplantation.