Experimental study on ischemia and reperfusion injury of rat liver and effects of ligustrazine and salvia compound.

The present study was to investigate changes of free radicals in the whole rat liver, changes of ATP levels of hepatic cells, ultrastructural changes in hepatic tissue during ischemia and reperfusion in rats and the effects of ligustrazine and salvia compound. The results indicated that: 1) the free radical levels increased by 8.3-fold and 9.0-fold in the groups with 30 and 60 min ischemia after 40 min reperfusion, as compared with the group with ischemia only (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, respectively). 2) The levels of ATP returned to normal in the group with 30 min ischemia after reperfusion for 40 min and 3 d, remained low in the group with 90 min ischemia and fell again after a mild increase in the group with 60 min ischemia. 3) The hepatic and endothelial cell damage after ischemia became more severe after reperfusion, as revealed by electron microscopy. The present study also showed that ligustrazine and salvia compound have protective effects against reperfusion injury. They can be used to scavenge free radicals, improve hepatic microcirculation and alleviate hepatic and endothelial cell damage.