In the current study, we sought selleck products to determine if RANK and RANKL were important in the hepatic response to I/R. Mice were subjected to partial hepatic ischemia followed by reperfusion. In

some experiments, mice received recombinant RANKL or neutralizing antibodies to RANKL 1 hour prior to surgery or at reperfusion to assess the role of RANK/RANKL signaling during I/R injury. RANK was constitutively expressed in the liver and was not altered by I/R. RANK was strongly expressed in hepatocytes and very weakly expressed in Kupffer cells. Serum RANKL concentrations increased after I/R and peaked 4 hours after reperfusion. Serum levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor find more for RANKL, steadily increased over the 8-hour period of reperfusion. Treatment with RANKL, before ischemia or at reperfusion, increased hepatocyte NF-κB activation and significantly reduced liver injury. These

beneficial effects occurred without any effect on cytokine expression or liver inflammation. Treatment with anti-RANKL antibodies had no effect on liver I/R injury. Conclusion: During the course of injury, endogenous OPG appears to suppress the effects of RANKL. However, exogenous administration of RANKL, given either prophylactically or postinjury, reduces liver injury in a manner associated with increased hepatocyte NF-κB activation. The data suggest that RANK/RANKL may be a viable therapeutic target in acute liver injury. (Hepatology 2012) Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the liver is a major complication of hemorrhagic shock, liver resection, and transplantation.1,

2 It is widely accepted that there are two distinct phases in hepatic I/R injury. The first phase of injury Tyrosine-protein kinase BLK occurs during the initial few hours after reperfusion and is related to the production of reactive oxygen species from Kupffer cells, leading to mild hepatocellular injury.3, 4 The late phase injury is initiated by inflammatory mediators released by activated Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. These mediators, including interleukin (IL)-12/23, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1, induce the expression of CXC chemokines and adhesion molecules that recruit activated neutrophils from the liver microcirculation to the parenchyma.5-10 These neutrophils then contribute to hepatocyte and vascular endothelial cell injury by releasing oxidants and proteases.4, 11 The expression of inflammatory mediators contributing to this response is largely controlled by the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB). Based on a number of recent studies, it appears that the role of NF-κB in the hepatic response to I/R is cell-specific, such that NF-κB activation in Kupffer cells and endothelial cells promotes inflammatory gene expression, whereas activation in hepatocytes promotes cell survival.