Affiliations: [a] Department of Surgical Research and Techniques, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| [b] Department of Medical Biology and Central Electron Microscope Laboratory, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| [c] Signal Transduction Research Group, János Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Vivien Telek, Department of Surgical Research and Techniques, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary. Tel.:+36 20 355 5191; E-mail: telek.vivien@pte.hu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) can cause insufficient microcirculation of the transplanted organ and results in a diminished and inferior graft survival rate. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to investigate the effect of different doses of an anti-diabetic drug, Pioglitazone (Pio), on endoplasmic reticulum stress and histopathological changes, using an in situ perfusion rat model. METHODS:Sixty male Wistar rats were used and were divided into six groups, consisting of the control group, vehicle-treated group and four Pio-treated groups (10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg Pio was administered). The rats were perfused through vena cava and an outflow on the abdominal aorta occurred. Following the experiment, kidneys and livers were collected. The level of the endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (XBP1 and Caspase 12) was analyzed using Western blot and histopathological changes were evaluated. RESULTS:Histopathological findings were correlated with the Western blot results and depict a protective effect corresponding to the elevated dosage of Pioglitazone regarding in situ perfusion rat model. CONCLUSIONS:In our study, Pioglitazone can reduce the endoplasmic reticulum stress, and the most effective dosage proved to be the 40 mg/kg Pio referencing the kidney and liver samples.
Keywords: Endoplasmic reticulum stress, Pioglitazone, in situ perfusion, cell damage
