Protective Role of Shenfu on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury of Rat Liver Grafts

AimsWe sought to investigate the protective role of Shenfu (SF),a traditional Chinese formulation comprising Radix Ginseng and Radix Aconitum Carmichaeli on ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat liver grafts.MethodsNinety-six male Sprague Dawley rats were used as donors (n = 48) and recipients (n = 48) of orthotopic liver transplantation. They were randomly divided into a control group with donor livers injected with saline through the portal vein immediately after recovery versus the SF group, with livers injected with SF. Each group was further divided into 3 subgroups equally to obtain bood and hepatic tissues samples at 2, 4, and 6 hours reperfusion.ResultsAt each phase, the SF group, showed significantly higher bile production (P < .05) with lower serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and tumor necrosis factor-α, and nuclear factor-κB expression in the hepatic tissues. (P < .05). SF group hepatic tissues showed less injury compared with controls.ConclusionSF injection seemed to protect hepatocytes from injury during the early reperfusion phase and to improve subsequent rat liver graft function.