Epoprostenol (prostacyclin,PGI2) increases apparent liver blood flow in man

When epoprostenol (prostacyclin, PGI2) is given by infusion to man, cardiac output is increased, and it appears that the gastrointestinal tract may receive a disproportionate share of this. We have used the clearance of indocyanine green dye to estimate liver blood flow in 8 healthy subjects. During an infusion of PGI2 at a dose of 5 ng/kg/min, apparent liver blood flow increased from 925 +/- 220 ml/min (Mean +/- s.d) to 1320 +/- 453 ml/min, an average increase of 41.1%. Significant changes in heart rate, headache, facial flushing, systolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure were noticed. We suggest that endogenous epoprostenol (PGI2) may be of importance in the physiological regulation of liver blood flow in man. As this dose of epoprostenol could be tolerated readily, epoprostenol therapy could prove a therapeutic advance in some liver disorders, particularly liver transplantation, and possibly in the therapy of certain drug overdoses.