S-15176 reduces the hepatic injury in rats subjected to experimental ischemia and reperfusion.

The protective effect of N-[(3, 5-di-tertiobutyl-4-hydroxy-1-thiophenyl)]-3-propyl-N'-(2,3, 4-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazine (S-15176) on liver injury induced by warm ischemia-reperfusion was investigated using a rat model. Animals were subjected to 2 h of ischemia followed by different reperfusion times. Hepatocyte integrity was assessed by measuring plasma alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activities, and by determining reduced and oxidized glutathione in plasma and bile. Hepatocyte function was quantitated by determining bile flow and liver ATP content. Ischemia-reperfusion resulted in severe hepatic injury involving a huge increase in alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activities, a drop in ATP content, and a decrease in bile flow. Plasma and bile reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione concentrations were inversely related: plasma levels increased when biliary levels decreased. This was associated with a decrease in animal survival (-34%). S-15176 pretreatment (1.25, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) improved the survival rate and limited tissue damages in a dose-dependent manner. The pretreatment also reduced the aminotransferase leakage from hepatocytes and the increase in plasma glutathione levels. In addition, normalization of the plasma GSSG/GSH ratio, a good index of an oxidative stress, was observed in groups treated with the higher dosage, suggesting that the antioxidant properties demonstrated for the compound in vitro (IC(50)=0.3 microM towards lipid peroxidation) could play a role in its protective effect. S-15176 pretreatment also protected the organ from the drop in ATP levels. At the higher dose, ATP content was maintained at a level almost 86% of the sham-operated group after 60 min of reperfusion. This was associated with a restoration of the biliary flow. These data suggest that S-15176 may be a useful drug in liver surgery to prevent ischemia-reperfusion injury.