Tri-iodothyronine enhances liver regeneration after living donor liver transplantation in rats.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tri-iodothyronine (T3) has been shown to be a hepatic mitogen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of T3 on liver regeneration after 50% partial liver transplantation (pLT) in rats. METHODS: Immediately after pLT, a single dose of T3 (4 mg/kg body weight) was administered. Liver/body weight ratio (LBWR), hepatocyte proliferation (Ki-67), biochemical parameters, and changes in cell cycle related proteins were evaluated. RESULTS: T3 promoted liver regeneration as shown by an increased liver/body weight ratio and Ki-67 proliferation index after pLT. On the transcriptional level, T3-treated rats had an increased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin A as demonstrated by real time RT-PCR and Western blot. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous administration of T3 significantly improved liver regeneration after pLT, and therefore it may represent a promising strategy to improve the clinical outcome after living donor liver transplantation in the future.