Effects of renal ischemia-reperfusion on biochemical factors and histopathological alterations in the liver of male rats

Introduction: One of the main reasons for acute renal failure is the renal ischemiareperfusion. It seems that renal ischemia-reperfusion-induced oxidative stress not only lead to alterations in renal function but also causes tissue alterations in distant organs such as the liver. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of renal ischemia-reperfusion on biochemical factors and histopathological changes in the liver of male rats. Methods: Forty male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, the sham group (only laparotomy), right nephrectomy and ischemic-reperfusion (right nephrectomy + left ischemic- reperfusion). In the end, following anesthesia, blood and liver samples were taken for the measurement of biochemical factors (malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels) and histopathological changes. Results: The result of this study indicated that renal ischemia-reperfusion significantly decreased SOD and increased MDA, AST, ALP and ALT compared to sham-control group (P<0.05). In addition, histopathological findings show that ischemia-reperfusion significantly increased apoptotic cells (P<0.05) and causes the disorganized arrangement of the hepatic plate, severe hepatocellular cytoplasmic vacuolation and extensive nuclear pyknosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that renal ischemia-reperfusion-induced liver damage, accompanied by decreasing of antioxidant capacity and increasing of oxidative stress and apoptosis in the liver.