Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026
Murine Model of Metastatic Liver Tumors in the Setting of Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Published on: August 30, 2019
Inflammatory response and oxidative stress during liver resection
Christoph Schwarz1,2, Fabian Fitschek1, David Bar-Or3,4,5,6
1Department of Surgery and Center for Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Background:
Postoperative complications are still a major concern after liver resection (LR). Systemic inflammation and deregulated reactive oxygen species during major abdominal surgery may impair outcome after hepatectomy.
Methods:
Patients undergoing LR were included in this study (n = 40). Oxidative stress (OS) was measured peri- and post-operatively as static oxidation-reduction potential markers (sORP) and antioxidant capacity ORP (cORP) by using the RedoxSYS Diagnostic system. Furthermore, Th1- and Th2-specific cytokines were assessed.
Results:
Whereas there was no significant change in systemic sORP during LR and in the early postoperative course, there was a substantial decrease of cORP immediately post-surgery, and on postoperative days 1 and 3 (p<0.001). OS response was tightly regulated, as there was a significant correlation between sORP and cORP (p<0.0001; R2:0.457). An increase of OS (sORP) after LR of more than 3 mV was predictive for severe postoperative complications (53.8% vs. 12.5; p = 0.017). There was a significantly higher IL-2 (p = 0.006) and IL-5 (p = 0.001) increase during hepatectomy in patients who developed a severe morbidity.
Conclusion:
Antioxidant capacity remained stable during LR but dropped during the post-surgical period, suggesting a consumption of antioxidants to maintain OS within healthy range. Severe postoperative complications were associated with a pronounced inflammatory response during surgery.
