The effect of bisoprolol on serum levels of liver enzymes AST, ALT and liver tissue in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion model in male rats.

Abstract

Background and Aim: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a systemic process that involves different organs and originates usually after hepatic surgeries and transplantations. In some studies, beta-blockers such as bisoprolol (BSP) have shown promising results in reducing the IR-caused injuries to the liver. The present study investigates the effects of BSP administration on serum levels of hepatic enzymes AST and ALT and hepatic tissue in male rats after hepatic IR injury.

Materials and Methods: A total of 28 Wistar rats were randomly split into four groups (each with 7 rats), including 1) Sham (receiving 2 ml/day normal saline by oral gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by surgery without IR induction), 2) Sham + BSP (receiving 10 mg/kg BSP by oral gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by surgery without IR induction), 3) IR (receiving 2 ml/day normal saline by oral gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by surgery with IR induction), and 4) IR + BSP (receiving 10 mg/kg BSP by oral gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by surgery with IR induction). After taking blood samples from the heart, rats were euthanized by surgical incisions on the diaphragm. Then, hepatic resection was performed for further histopathological investigations.

Results: The mean serum level of AST was insignificantly grown in the IR group compared to the Sham group (p>0.05), while that in the IR + BSP group was insignificantly reduced compared to the IR group (p>0.05). Similarly, the mean serum level of ALT in the IR group was insignificantly increased compared to the Sham group. And ultimately, the mean serum level of ALT was reduced slightly in the IR + BSP group, but this decrease was not statistically significant compared to the IR group (p>0.05). Furthermore, the structure of hepatic cells was found to be normal in all groups, and the cells did not alter structurally after BSP administration.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed BSP pretreatment before hepatic IR probably cannot have a significant effect on liver tissue and some liver enzymes including AST and ALT.