17-Beta-estradiol protects the liver against warm ischemia/reperfusion injury and is associated with increased serum nitric oxide and decreased tumor necrosis factor-alpha

• Published in: Surgery 2002-08, Vol.132 (2), p.302-309
• Main Authors: Eckhoff, Devin E., Bilbao, Guadalupe, Frenette, Luc, Thompson, J.Anthony, Contreras, Juan L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Cytoprotection; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Emergency and intensive care: digestive diseases. Bioartificial liver; Endothelium, Vascular - cytology; Estradiol - pharmacology; Intensive care medicine; Liver - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neutrophils - cytology; Nitric Oxide - blood; Reperfusion Injury - blood; Reperfusion Injury - drug therapy; Reperfusion Injury - pathology; Temperature; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism
• ISSN: 0039-6060; 1532-7361
• DOI: 10.1067/msy.2002.125718

Background. Ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R injury) to the liver can occur in low-flow states associated with trauma and shock and surgical procedures such as liver transplantation. Recent studies have shown that the administration of the female sex hormone 17-β-estradiol after trauma-hemorrhage in animals restores depressed cardiac, hepatocellular, and immune functions. In this study we evaluated the effects of 17-β-estradiol on I/R injury to the liver. Methods. The medial lobe of the liver in normal male C57BL/6 mice was clamped at its base for 90 minutes. 17-Beta-estradiol was given 1 hour before I/R injury at 40 and 4000 μg/kg intraperitoneally. Biochemical analysis was performed, and liver biopsy specimens were obtained at 24 hours. Results. A dose-dependent reduction in aspartate aminotransferase level was observed in animals (n = 8) given estradiol (243 ± 23 IU/L) compared with saline-treated animals (902 ± 42 IU/L, P