BACKGROUND: Ischemia has been used in hepatic surgery since the beginning of the century. Its use results in less blood loss during hepatic resections and allow organ preservation while waiting for a transplant. Nevertheless, the lack of perfusion causes liver injury, worsen by the reoxygenation of the organ. N-Acetylcysteine is a drug capable of restoring cellular glutatione levels, essential to control reperfusion injury. Therefore, N-Acetylcysteine could be useful to lessen liver damage. To evaluate N-Acetylcysteine ability to reduce hepatic damage, a murine model of normothermic ischemia and reperfusion was used. METHODS: Twenty female Wistar rats were divided in two groups. In the first group, N-Acetylcysteine 400mg/kg was given intravenously fifteen minutes before the left hepatic lobe clamping. The clamp was kept in place for ninety minutes. In the control group, normal saline was given in an equivalent volume. After four hours of reperfusion, animals were killed and left lobes were submitted to histopathological analysis stained with Hematoxilin-Eosin. Specimens were evaluated for congestion, steatosis and necrosis. RESULTS: Analysis showed N-Acetylcysteine capability of significantly decrease hepatic congestion. There was no difference in regard of steatosis and necrosis. CONCLUSION: We concluded that previous N-Acetylcysteine administration reduces congestion in normothermic ischemia-reperfusion of the liver lobe. The drug does not reduce steatosis or necrosis.
Ischemia-Reperfusion; Hepatic Ischemia; N-Acetylcysteine
