Biomedical Research

Objective: This paper aims to discuss the protection of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) toward rats with reduced-size liver transplantation for fatty livers.

Methods: A total of 48 SD male rats were selected and fed with a high-fat diet to develop fatty liver. Later, the rats were divided into sham-operated, blank control (reduced sized liver transplantation +normal saline), positive control (reduced sized liver transplantation+VES), and study (reduced sized liver transplantation+r-HuEPO) groups, with 12 rats for each group. At 1 and 3 d of intervention, 6 rats from each group were sacrificed to test total bilirubin (TB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartic transaminase (AST) levels in serum. Liver transplantation tissues were collected to test cell apoptosis and contents of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA). The pathomorphism of liver transplantation tissues was observed 3 d after intervention.

Results: Except for SOCD content, the TB, ALT, and AST levels in serum, as well as TNF-α and MDA contents of the blank control and sham-operated groups at 3 d, are significantly higher than those at 1 d (p<0.05). By contrast, the indices of the research group and positive control group at day 3 are significantly lower than those at day 1 (p<0.05), whereas the SOD content at day 3 is markedly higher than that at day 1 (p<0.05). Significant inter-group differences (p<0.05) were observed. Cell apoptosis values in the positive control, blank control, and sham-operated groups at day 3 were notably higher than that at day 1 (p<0.05), but cell apoptosis in the research team at day 3 was similar to that at day 1 (p>0.05). Significant inter-group differences (p<0.05) were observed. Several small fat droplets can be observed in the research team, whereas hepatic sinusoids and hepatic lobules were clear and accompanied with certain necrosis of liver cells.

Conclusion: Through reduced-sized liver transplantation, r-HuEPO can significantly protect the liver functions of rats with fatty liver, relieve liver damage, and inhibit cell apoptosis, which may be related to the decreased TNF-α and MDA contents and increased SOD activity.

Author(s): Shunwu Chang, Baochun Wang, Cexiong Fu, Xiaoguang Gong, Ning Liu, Yunfu Lv
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