ABSTRACT
Microcirculatory disturbances have been related to a decrease in survival after liver transplant. Because innervation is involved in liver hemodynamics regulation, we decided to evaluate microcirculatory hepatic perfusion. Thirty rats were divided into three groups: denervated (DG), hepatic microsurgical denervation; manipulated (MG), hepatic manipulation; control (CG), laparotomy. Hepatic microcirculation was assessed in the median lobe using laser Doppler flowmetry in the following moments: T(0), after laparotomy and T(1), after denervation; and in the following moments after denervation: T(2), 10 minutes, T(3), 20 minutes, T(4), 30 minutes, T(5), 1 hour, T(6), 1.5 hours, and T(7), 2 hours for DG, and in same moments for MG and CG. DG showed a decrease in hepatic perfusion for 20 minutes after denervation, different from MG and CG. After that, there was recovery in hepatic perfusion in MG and DG (Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests). Therefore, denervation and manipulation alter hepatic microcirculation, but denervation promotes a more severe decrease than manipulation.
Subject(s)
Denervation , Liver/blood supply , Microsurgery , Animals , Blood Flow Velocity/physiology , Laser-Doppler Flowmetry , Liver/innervation , Liver Transplantation/physiology , Male , Microcirculation/physiopathology , RatsABSTRACT
Previous studies demonstrated that some immunosuppressive agents inhibit arterial intimal hyperplasia. Our previous studies demonstrated that gangliosides (Gang) have an immunosuppressive effect on as well as an anti-inflammatory role in the wound-healing process. Therefore, we decided to examine the effect of Gang on intimal hyperplasia. Twenty Wistar isogenic rats received a transverse division of the anterior wall of the femoral artery, followed by suturing using mononylon 10-0 under surgical microscopy and were then divided into two groups: Gang group, 3 mg/kg per day of Gang, and control group, vehicle, intramuscularly from surgery to death (1 and 3 weeks, respectively). Concentric intimal hyperplasia was observed in arteries stained by hematoxylin-eosin in control and Gang groups. However, the media layer did not demonstrate any major alterations. After 3 weeks, the Gang group showed more intimal hyperplasia than the control group. Therefore, because intimal hyperplasia worsened in the presence of Gang after 3 weeks, further studies will be necessary to clarify its role in intimal proliferation.