| Abstract: | To estimate the effects of the prostacyclin analog (OP-41483) on normothermic liver ischemia and reperfusion injury, saline (Group 1, N = 8), heparin (group 2, N = 8, 100 u/kg) or OP-41483 (group 3, N = 8, 400 ng/kg/min) was infused intravenously for 30 min before and after liver ischemia in rats. There were no significant differences in survival, or transaminase at 30 min after reperfusion among the three groups. Hepatic vessel flow and tissue flow were measured for the first 30 min after reperfusion. Hepatic tissue flow increased for the first 30 min after reperfusion in the group 3 rats, but not in the groups 2 and 3 rats. There were significant differences in hepatic tissue flow between the groups 1 and 3 rats at 20 min (p < 0.05), as well as significant differences between the groups 1 and 3 rats (p < 0.01) and the groups 1 and 2 rats (p < 0.05) at 30 min after reperfusion. There were no significant differences in total hepatic inflow among the three groups. Our data suggest that OP-41483 exerts beneficial effects by improving the microcirculation and increasing the effective hepatic blood flow in the ischemically injured liver after reperfusion. |
