Objective To investigate the effect of prostacyclin E1 on the expression levels of Smad2 and Smad4 mRNA in rabbits with hepatic fibrosis after hepatic arterial lipiodol embolization.
Methods Thirty-six adult rabbits were selected and divided into sham operation group, model group and drug group by random number table method. After 1 week of feeding, the rabbits in the three groups were all intubated under anesthesia, and simulated hepatic artery embolization with lipiodol, and then the sham operation group was injected with 1 mL of normal saline through the right hepatic artery, and the administration group was injected with iodized oil through the right hepatic artery. 1mL + 0.2 mL PGEl, and 1 mL of iodized oil was injected into the model group through the right hepatic artery. 2, 4, 6 and 8 days after the operation, the serological indexes of the rabbits in each group were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. The rabbits were dissected and their liver tissues were taken for pathological examination on the 8th day after operation. RT-PCR method was used to detect the liver of the rabbits in each group. Smad2 and Smad4 mRNA levels in tissues.
Results There was no significant change in the serological indexes of rabbits in the sham-operated group at 2, 4, 6 and 8 days after operation. Compared with the sham-operated group, the serological indexes of the administration group and the model group at each time point increased significantly with time (P<0.05); 0.05). There was no obvious liver fibrosis in the sham-operated group rabbits on the 8th day after operation; however, the pathological specimens of the rabbits in the drug group and the model group had different degrees of liver fibrosis, and the drug group had more obvious liver fibrosis than the model group (P< 0.05). Compared with the sham-operated group, the expression levels of Smad2 and Smad4 mRNA in the free liver tissue of the administration group and the model group were significantly higher (P<0.05), and the expression levels of Smad2 and Smad4 mRNA in the liver tissue of the administration group were significantly lower than those of the model group (P<0.05). <0.05).
Conclusion PGE1 applied to hepatic arterial lipiodol embolization can improve postoperative liver fibrosis and reduce the expression levels of Smad2 and Smad4 mRNA in liver tissue, thus having a positive effect on liver injury protection.