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Natural resistance to liver ischemia/reperfusion injury in hibernating 13‐lined ground squirrels
Author(s) -
Otis Jessica,
Pike Amanda,
Carey Hannah V.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.1117.1
Subject(s) - hibernation (computing) , medicine , tunel assay , hsp70 , reperfusion injury , ischemia , endocrinology , liver injury , biology , heat shock protein , chemistry , biochemistry , immunohistochemistry , state (computer science) , algorithm , computer science , gene
We showed previously that ground squirrels are protected from intestinal warm ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury and from hepatic cold ischemia/warm reperfusion injury during the hibernation season. In this study we hypothesized that hibernating (HIB) squirrels would be protected from warm hepatic IR. Under isoflurane anesthesia, spring (SPR) and aroused HIB squirrels (both T b ~37°C) were subjected to sham (CON) surgery or 70% hepatic IR (90 min/120 min) (n=7 except HIB IR where n=8). SPR IR animals had more apoptotic cells (TUNEL‐positive) than HIB IR or CON (P<0.01). Activity of the liver function enzyme alanine aminotransferase was low in CONs, showed a ~23 fold increase in HIB IR, and a greater ~53 fold increase in SPR IR (P<0.001). Aspartate aminotransferase showed the same pattern of low activity in CONs, intermediate activity in HIB IR (~13 fold increase), and high activity in SPR IR (~20 fold increase) (P<0.001). Western blotting revealed that hepatic HSP70 protein expression is higher in HIB CON than in any other group (P<0.01). These results indicate that HIB squirrels are protected from warm hepatic IR, possibly due to increase expression of stress resistance proteins. Better understanding of hibernation‐associated resistance to IR injury has the potential to improve treatments for human trauma, surgery, hemorrhagic shock, and organ transplantation.