Abstract:

Objective    To investigate changes of Bcl-2 and Bax expressions and apoptosis in liver injured rats following limb ischemia-reperfusion(LIR), and explore the preventive effect of taurine on liver injury. Methods     30 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group, the IR group and the taurine+IR(TR) group (n=10 in each). The levels of MDA, MPO and calcium in liver tissues were measured. Expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax in liver tissues were tested by the immunohistochemical method. Apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method. Results     It was found that compared with the control group, test values of MDA, MPO and calcium and the percentage of apoptosis cells significantly increased in the IR group and TR group, while values of those in the TR group were lower than in the IR group. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the ratio of Bcl2/Bax was lower in the IR group than in the control group, while the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly higher and the percentage of apoptosis cells was significantly lower in the TR group than in the IR group. Conclusion     Taurine may have a protective effect on liver cells and can reduce occurrence of apoptosis after hind limb ischemia reperfusion injury in rats. The mechanism may be that it decreases generation of oxygen free radicals and overload of calcium，and increases expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax genes.

Key words: Apoptosis; Taurine; Reperfusion injury