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Updated: Oct 4, 2026
Intravascular Delivery of Biologics to the Rat Kidney
Published on: September 1, 2016
Intrahepatic expression and release of vascular endothelial growth factor following orthotopic liver transplantation
P Boros1, A Tarcsafalvi, L Wang
1The Recanati/Miller Transplant Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. Peter.Boros@MSSM.EDU
Background:
Morphological and functional changes to sinusoidal endothelial cells mediated by soluble factors released from activated Kupffer cells, including cytokines, are considered pivotal events in ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) to liver grafts. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an endothelial cell-specific cytokine with potent pro-inflammatory and mitogenic effects. We investigated the possible role of VEGF in IRI to liver grafts using a syngeneic rat orthotopic liver transplantation model.
Methods:
Transplantation was performed in Lewis rats using livers preserved for various periods of time (24-48 hr) in University of Wisconsin solution at 4 degrees C. Systemic VEGF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Intrahepatic VEGF expression was analyzed by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. The effects of anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody treatment on the extent of IRI were assessed by measuring liver function tests, lipid peroxidation, and metalloproteinase activity.
Results/Conclusion:
VEGF is expressed and released in a biphasic pattern during the early postoperative period after liver transplantation. Anti-VEGF antibody treatment, administered during reperfusion, decreased the degree of damage, suggesting that VEGF may have a role in IRI to liver grafts.
