Aim: 

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of ischemia- reperfusion injury on liver microcirculation. These effects were observed in normal or fatty livers of rats fed with a normal diet or a diet causing an accumulation of fat in hepatocytes within four weeks.

Methods: 

Two groups of male Wistar rats (weighing 200–250 g) were used; the first fed with a normal diet and the other with a choline- and methionine-deficient diet to induce hepatic steatosis within four weeks of administration. The animals were anesthetized (pentobarbital, 5 mg/100 g b.w., i.v.), tracheotomized and intubated. The left femoral artery and vein were cannulated. Laparatomy was performed via a mid-linear incision. Transient ischemia of left hepatic lobe was induced by clamping the hepato-duodenal ligament for 30 min. At 45 min of reperfusion the left lobe was exteriorized and liver microcirculation was visualized by a fluorescent microscopy technique, using sodium fluorescein and rhodamine 6G to label hepatocytes and leukocytes, respectively. Microscopic images were analyzed by a computerized program. Sham operated animals were used as controls.

Results: 

The microcirculation of fatty livers was characterized by reduction of blood flow through sinusoid capillaries under baseline conditions (decrease by 8 3% of the perfused capillary length compared with that of rat normal livers, p < 0.01). At the end of ischemia-reperfusion the microcirculation of fat livers showed a reduction of the perfused capillary length by 35 4% higher than that observed in normal livers (decreased by 25 3%, p < 0.01).

Conclusions: 

These results indicate that fatty liver appears to be less tolerant to ischemia reperfusion injury.