Interleukin-11 protects mouse liver from warm ischemia/reperfusion (WI/Rp) injury

SummaryBackgroundIL-11 is a multifunctional cytokine that belongs to the IL-6 family. Previous studies have demonstrated that IL-11 has underlying anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. In this study, we evaluated the potential effects of IL-11 on mouse liver WI/Rp injury.MethodsFor in vivo experiments, mice were randomly divided into four main experimental groups (n = 5 each): (1) normal group - anesthesia; (2) sham group- laparotomy; (3) I/R group- liver WI/Rp; and (4) IL-11 pretreatment (500 μg/kg, tail vein injection) group- administration of RhIL-11 2 h before liver WI/Rp induced in the same manner as in group 3. For in vitro experiments, cells were divided into two groups: (1) H/R group- H/R; and (2) IL-11 pretreatment group- pretreatment with RhIL-11 (2 μg/mL for 12 h) before the induction of H/R. For both groups, three periods of reoxygenation were examined (2 h, 6 h, and 12 h).ResultsIn the in vivo experiments, IL-11 protected mouse livers from WI/Rp by reducing liver enzyme levels and cellular degeneration. In the in vitro experiments, IL-11 significantly reduced hepatocyte apoptosis. In both the in vivo and in vitro experiments, IL-11 pre-treatment significantly reduced the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β. In addition, NF-κB, a target of IL-11, was suppressed in macrophages after IL-11 pre-treatment.ConclusionsPre-treatment with IL-11 protects mouse livers from WI/Rp injury by suppressing NF-kB activity.