Relationship Between Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Acute Rejection of Allogeneic Liver Transplant in Rats

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the acute rejection (AR) of allogeneic liver transplants in rats.MethodsThe experimental rats were divided in different groups: normal control group (sham group, group I); syngeneic liver transplant control group (similar gene group, group II); and allogeneic liver transplant groups (groups III to VI). The rats were humanely killed at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after transplantation or sham operation to determine the severity of I/R injury, rejection classification, and hepatocyte apoptosis. Messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels of Fas, perforin, and granzyme B were assessed in the liver tissues using real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively.ResultsThe rejection scores of the transplanted liver tissues gradually increased until these scores were proportional to the severity of I/R injury in groups III, IV, and V. The maximum scores were reached at 7 days after transplantation as the duration of transplantation was extended. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Fas, perforin, and granzyme B were significantly increased at 1, 3, 3, 5, and 7 days after liver reperfusion in groups III, IV, and V compared with those in groups I, II, and VI (P < .05).ConclusionThe occurrence of AR after allogeneic liver transplantation in rats was positively correlated with the severity of I/R injury. Given that I/R injury caused serious damage to the transplanted liver, the occurrence of AR consequently decreased.