Protective Effect Of Insulin Against Lipopolysaccharide-induced Rat Hepatocytes Injury

BackgroundIntestinal endotoxemia may occur in the course of illness in patients with trauma, sepsis, burns, surgery and other conditions. Endogenous endotoxin induces hepatocytes injury by its direct toxicity or activating Kupffer cells to release inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of critical illness. Recent studies reported that intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients decreases the mortality and prevents the incidence of infection and sepsis. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which insulin improves survival remain unknown. Previous evidences from our laboratory have shown that insulin significantly reduced cardiac myocytes and endothelial cells apoptosis in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Whether insulin may have protective effects against LPS-induced and Kupffer cell-mediated rat hepatocytes injury has not been defined completely.Aims1. To investigate whether insulin exerts protective effects against LPS-induced and Kupffer cell-mediated rat hepatocytes injury.2. To determine the effect of insulin on inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and...