Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

New Thrombectomy Technique for Total Portal Vein Thrombosis in Liver Transplantation
Published on: June 27, 2025
Antithrombin III injection via the portal vein suppresses liver damage
Masayuki Miyazaki1, Masaki Kato, Masatake Tanaka
1Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. mmasayuk@intmed3.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Aim:
To investigate the effects of antithrombin III (AT III) injection via the portal vein in acute liver failure.
Methods:
Thirty rats were intraperitoneally challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D-galactosamine (GalN) and divided into three groups: a control group; a group injected with AT III via the tail vein; and a group injected with AT III via the portal vein. AT III (50 U/kg body weight) was administrated 1 h after challenge with LPS and GalN. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and fibrin degradation products, hepatic fibrin deposition, and hepatic mRNA expression of hypoxia-related genes were analyzed.
Results:
Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 decreased significantly following portal vein AT III injection compared with tail vein injection, and control rats. Portal vein AT III injection reduced liver cell destruction and decreased hepatic fibrin deposition. This treatment also significantly reduced hepatic mRNA expression of lactate dehydrogenase and heme oxygenase-1.
Conclusion:
A clinically acceptable dose of AT III injection into the portal vein suppressed liver damage, probably through its enhanced anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Related Concept Videos
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Portal Hypertension
Hepatic Portal System
At its core, the hepatic portal vein is the result of a confluence of the superior and inferior mesenteric veins along with the splenic vein. Each of these veins has a unique role. The superior mesenteric vein is responsible...
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
Esophageal Varices-II: Clinical Features and Management
In the initial assessment, a thorough review of the patient's medical history is vital to identify risk factors such as liver disease, alcohol abuse, or...

