OBJECTIVES:
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of pre-conditioning
treatment with
laser light on hepatic
injury in
rats submitted to partial
ischemia using mitochondrial function and
liver fatty acid binding protein as markers.
METHODS:
Rats were divided into four groups (n=5) 1) Control, 2) Control +
Laser, 3) Partial
Ischemia and 4) Partial
Ischemia +
Laser.
Ischemia was induced by
clamping the hepatic pedicle of the left and middle lobes of the
liver for 60 minutes.
Laser light at 660 nm was applied to the
liver immediately prior to the induction of
ischemia at 22.5 J/cm2, with 30 seconds of
illumination at five individual points. The
animals were sacrificed after 30 minutes of
reperfusion.
Blood and
liver tissues were collected for
analysis of mitochondrial function,
determination of
malondialdehyde and
analysis of
fatty acid binding protein expression by
Western blot.
RESULTS:
Mitochondrial function decreased in the Partial
Ischemia group, especially during
adenosine diphosphate-activated
respiration (
state 3), and the expression of
fatty acid binding protein was also reduced. The application of
laser light prevented
bioenergetic changes and restored the expression of
fatty acid binding protein.
CONCLUSION:
Prophylactic application of
laser light to the
livers of
rats submitted to partial
ischemia was found to have a protective effect in the
liver, with normalization of both mitochondrial function and
fatty acid binding protein tissue expression.