Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Alleviates Liver Ischemia-reperfusion Injury

Objective: To explore the protective effect of fibroblast growth factor 21 on liver ischemia-reperfusion(IR)injury in mice and the possible mechanisms.Methods: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups:sham-operated group,IR+NS group(mice were injected with 2ml/kg saline by tail vein 30 minutes before ischemia induction)and IR+FGF21 group(mice were injected with 2 ml/kg FGF21 30 minutes before operation).The mouse partial liver model of IR injury was established.Twelve hours after reperfusion,the mice were sacrificed and the serum and liver samples undergoing IR injury were collected.The ALT and AST levels in serum were determined.Liver histological damage was evaluated with hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL detection.Levels of Malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione(GSH)and reactive oxygen species(ROS)in liver tissue were also determined.Results: HE staining showed that the liver tissue structure in the sham group was clear and no significant abnormal changes were observed.In the IR+NS group,the structure of hepatic lobules was disordered and a large area of hepatocyte degeneration was observed.In the IR+FGF21 group,the pathological lesions were significantly reduced compared with the IR+NS group,and some hepatocytes were watery degeneration.TUNEL staining showed that the number of hepatocyte apoptosis in IR+NS group was significantly higher than that in sham group.The number of hepatocyte apoptosis in IR+FGF21 group was significantly lower than that in IR+NS group.The ALT and AST levels in IR+FGF21 group were significantly lower than those of IR+NS group(P<0.01).The levels of plasma MDA and ROS contents in IR+FGF21 group were significantly lower than those of IR+NS group(P<0.01).The levels of plasma SOD and GSH in IR+FGF21 group were higher than those of IR+NS group(P<0.01).Conclusion: FGF21 can alleviate liver IR injury probably by inhibiting oxidant stress in mice.