BACKGROUND:With the development of hepatic surgery especially liver transplantation,the pathophysiological processes of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)injury have gained special attention.Controlling I/R injury has become one of the most important factors for successful liver transplantation.This study aimed to investigate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)in rats with hepatic I/R injury and promote the recognition of I/R injury in the liver. METHODS:Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups.Rats in the sham-operated(SO) group served as controls.Rats in the hepatic ischemia reperfusion(I/R)group underwent reperfusion after 30 minutes of liver ischemia.Rats were sacrificed at 1,6 and 12 hours.The expression of TNF-αmRNA in the liver was measured by RT-PCR.Histological changes in the liver were assessed.Alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in serum were measured. RESULTS:The expression of TNF-αmRNA in the SO group was decreased compared with that in the I/R group(P<0.05) TNF-αmRNA expression progressively increased in the I/R group.The serum levels of ALT and AST in the I/R group were higher than those in the SO group(P<0.01).The histological changes were in accord with hepatic I/R injury. CONCLUSION:ALT and AST in serum are closely related to hepatic I/R injury and inflammatory reaction.TNF-α production in the liver triggers hepatic I/R injury through a cascade. BACKGROUND: With the development of hepatic surgery especially liver transplantation, the pathophysiological processes of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I / R) injury have have special attention. Controlling I / R injury has become one of the most important factors for successful liver transplantation.This METHODS aimed to investigate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in rats with hepatic I / R injury and promote the recognition of I / R injury in the liver. METHODS: Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided Rats in the sham-operated (SO) group served as controls. Rats in the hepatic ischemia reperfusion (I / R) group underwent reperfusion after 30 minutes of liver ischemia. Rats were sacrificed at 1,6 and 12 hours. RESULTS: The expression of TNF-α mRNA in the liver was measured by RT-PCR. Histological changes in the liver were measured. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum were measured. SO group wa s decreased compared with that in the I / R group (P <0.05) TNF-α mRNA expression progressively increased in the I / R group. The serum levels of ALT and AST in the I / R group were higher than those in the SO group (P <0.01). CONCLUSION: ALT and AST in serum are closely related to hepatic I / R injury and inflammatory reaction. TNF-α production in the liver triggers hepatic I / R injury through a cascade.