AIM: To investigate the effect of different secondary warm ischemia time (SWIT) on bile duct injury in liver-transplanted rats. METHODS: Forty-eight male inbred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: a sham-operation group and three groups with secondary biliary warm ischemia time of 0 min, 10 min and 20 min. A rat model of autologous liver transplantation under ether anesthesia was established, and six rats were killed in each group and blood samples and the median lobe of the liver were collected for assay at 6 h and 24 h after hepatic arterial reperfusion. RESULTS: With prolongation of biliary warm ischemia time, the level of vascular endothelial growth factor-A was significantly decreased, and the value at 24 h was higher than that at 6 h after hepatic arterial reperfusion, but with no significant difference. The extended biliary SWIT led to a significant increase in bile duct epithelial cell apoptosis, and a decrease in the number of blood vessels, the bile duct surrounding the blood vessels and bile duct epithelial cell proliferation in the early postoperative portal area. Pathologic examinations showed that inflammation of the rat portal area was aggravated, and biliary epithelial cell injury was significantly worsened. CONCLUSION: A prolonged biliary warm ischemia time results in aggravated injury of the bile duct and the surrounding vascular plexus in rat autologous orthotopic liver transplantation.
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