The effects of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury on postoperative cognitive function in aged rats

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) is a significant source of morbidity and mortality after liver surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hepatic I/R injury on the hippocampus in rats with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Material and methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 160, age: 20-25 months, weight: 300-350 g) received I/R surgery with ischemia for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and 40 minutes in different groups. Behavior tests of the Morris water maze (MWM) test and the passive avoidance test were applied. Population spike (PS) of pyramidal cells, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and protein kinase γ (PKCγ) in the hippocampus were observed. Results: Within 10 days after surgery, in aged rats with varying impaired cognitive function, spike size and spike latency period were reduced, level of PKCγ was decreased and an increased level of NF-κB was observed in the I/R group, especially in the I/R group with ischemia for 40 minutes. The parameters showed no significant difference in rats in the I/R group compared with the sham group at the 18th day after surgery. Conclusions: Hepatic I/R injury has a negative impact on the postoperative cognitive function in aged rats, leading to hippocampus changes with PS abnormity and level changes of NF-κB, PKCγ. However, this cognitive deficit improved over time.

Gut microbiota regulates hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury‐induced cognitive dysfunction via the HDAC2‐ACSS2 axis in mice

“…Previous research, including our team's previous work, has confirmed that HIRI can induce cognitive dysfunction in mice 30–32 . The occurrence of this cognitive impairment is closely related to gut microbiota and hippocampal lipid metabolism.…”

“…29 Previous research, including our team's previous work, has confirmed that HIRI can induce cognitive dysfunction in mice. [30][31][32] The occurrence of this cognitive impairment is closely related to gut microbiota and hippocampal lipid metabolism. To further explore the mechanisms underlying hepatic ischemia-reperfusion-induced cognitive dysfunction, our research group employed techniques including gut microbiota transplantation and LC/MS short-chain fatty acid detection to investigate changes in the hippocampus of mice subjected to HIRI.…”

Regulation of mild cognitive impairment associated with liver disease by humoral factors derived from the gastrointestinal tract and MRI research progress: a literature review

“…Besides, hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) occurring during the perioperative period also has adverse effects on cognition (He et al, 2023). Many basic research studies have reported cognitive impairments in experimental animals after experiencing hepatic I/R injury (Wu et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2022).…”

Communication Regarding the Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion and Cognitive Impairment: A Narrative Literature Review

“…Additionally, these deficits contribute to reduced long-term quality of life and increased economic burden [9]. Growing evidence suggests that I/R in peripheral organs, including the liver [10][11][12], kidneys [13,14], intestines [15,16], and limbs [17], is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Cardiac I/R has been specifically identified as an important contributor to cognitive dysfunction following cardiac surgery [18].…”