Ayliz Velioglu Ogunc

In the present study, it was aimed to study the antioxidant effects of spironolactone (SPL) to determine its possible protective effects in hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury. Hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct of Wistar albino rats were clamped for 45 minutes under anesthesia to form an ischemia period. Then reperfusion was allowed and the rats were decapitated 60 minutes later. SPL (20 mg/kg, p.o.) or SF was orally administered for 30 minutes before ischemia. Rats in the control arm underwent sham surgery and were administered isotonic saline. Liver function was studied by measuring aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1beta (IL-1β) levels. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), luminol, and lucigenin levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Na+-K+-ATPase enzyme activities were analyzed to study tissue injury under light microscope. While IR increased AST, ALT, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels and MDA, luminol, and lusigenin levels and MPO activities, it caused a decrease in GSH levels and Na+K+-ATPase activity. Spironolactone administration significantly improved these values. Protective effects of SPL against ischemia/reperfusion injury via various mechanisms suggest that this agent may become a novel treatment agent in clinical practice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible protective effects of St. John's wort in the hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. The hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct were all clamped for 45 minutes to induce ischemia in rats, and after that reperfusion for 1 hour. SJW was administrated orally, once a day for 3 days before ischemia/reperfusion. The aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin levels were measured in the serum samples. Luminol chemiluminescence, lucigenin luminol chemiluminescence levels; myeloperoxidase. The sodium-potassium ATPase (Na+/K+ ATPase) activity was determined in the liver tissue, and caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity with the bcl-2/bax ratio were measured by the western blot analysis. The St. John's wort administration recovered the aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor, and IL-1β levels serum parameters meaningfully, while ischemia/reperfusion caused an increase in luminol chemiluminescence, lucigenin luminol chemiluminescence, myeloperoxidase, caspase-3, and caspase-9 activity and led to a decrease in the B-cell lymphoma-2/bcl-2-associated X protein (bcl-2/bax) ratio and the Na+/K+ ATPase activity. The obtained results indicate protective effects of St. John's wort on the ischemia/reperfusion injury through various mechanisms, and we are able to suggest that St. John's wort can clinically create a new therapeutic principle.