Sevoflurane protects the liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury by regulating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway

Eur J Pharmacol. 2021 May 5:898:173932. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.173932. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of sevoflurane (SEV) preconditioning in liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In vivo, rats were randomly divided into Sham group, I/R rat model group, I/R + SEV group and SEV group. In vitro, hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) cell model were established. Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) and TUNEL assay were used to evaluate the degree of tissue damage and detect apoptosis in rats, respectively. HO-1, nuclear Nrf2 and cytosolic Nrf2 expressions were detected by immunohistochemical staining, Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), respectively. Contents of Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined by corresponding kits. Inflammatory factor levels, cell viability, apoptosis were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), MTT assay, and flow cytometry, respectively.In the I/R group, liver damage was severe, apoptosis-positive cells were increased, HO-1 and nuclear Nrf2 expressions were increased, and cytosolic Nrf2 expression was decreased. After SEV pretreatment, the degree of liver injury and apoptosis in rats were significantly reduced, HO-1 and nuclear Nrf2 expressions were increased significantly, and cytosolic Nrf2 expression was decreased. 4% SEV had the best mitigating effect on H/R-induced liver cell damage, as evidenced by reduced contents of LDH and MDA, decreased inflammatory factors, a lowered apoptosis rate, inhibited ROS production, effectively promoted Nrf2 nucleation, and activated Nrf/HO-1 pathway. ML385 pretreatment significantly inhibited the effect of SEV on hepatocytes.Sevoflurane protects the liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Keywords: Hypoxia-reoxygenation; Ischemia-reperfusion; Liver; Nrf2; Sevoflurane.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / genetics
  • Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / metabolism*
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / genetics
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / metabolism*
  • Hepatocytes / drug effects*
  • Hepatocytes / enzymology
  • Hepatocytes / pathology
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism
  • Liver / drug effects*
  • Liver / enzymology
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Diseases / enzymology
  • Liver Diseases / pathology
  • Liver Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / metabolism*
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Reperfusion Injury / enzymology
  • Reperfusion Injury / pathology
  • Reperfusion Injury / prevention & control*
  • Sevoflurane / pharmacology*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Inflammation Mediators
  • Membrane Proteins
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2
  • Nfe2l2 protein, rat
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Sevoflurane
  • Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)
  • Heme Oxygenase-1
  • Hmox1 protein, mouse
  • Hmox1 protein, rat