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Abstract
Several studies have implicated endocannabinoids in various forms of shock. However, the role of endocannabinoids in hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of two endocannabinoids in hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury: anandamide (ANA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups: the short (15 min) ischemic group and the long (60 min) ischemic group in the segmental (70%) hepatic tissue. Blood levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ANA, and 2-AG were examined. Serum levels of AST, ALT, and LDH were significantly higher in the long-ischemia group than in the short-ischemia group. Plasma levels of 2-AG showed similar augmentation prior to and after reperfusion in both the short- and long-ischemia groups, although plasma 2-AG levels tended to be higher in the long-ischemia group than in the short-ischemia group. Plasma levels of ANA were augmented in the early phase of reperfusion in the short-ischemia group and did not differ significantly from the normal level with time after reperfusion in the long-ischemia group. These results suggest that the endocannabinoid 2-AG increases in hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury of rats, rather than ANA.