Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of resveratrol and propofol, used either alone or in combination, on hepatocyte
apoptosis in rats with hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI). Methods A total of 144 male SD rats were randomized into 8
equal groups, including a sham-operated group and 7 HIRI (established using Pringle method) groups with pretreatments
with normal saline, Tween80, propofol (10 or 20 mg·kg-1·h-1), or resveratrol (10 or 20 mg/kg), or both propofol and resveratrol
10 min before hepatic portal vein occlusion. At 1, 3 and 6 h after the reperfusion, 6 rats from each group were sacrificed for
histopathological examination of the liver tissue, detection of hepatocyte apoptosis using TUNEL assay, and measurement of
Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 protein expressions using immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with normal saline and
Tween80, propofol and resveratrol at different doses used alone or in combination all significantly alleviated the hepatic
pathologies, lowered the apoptosis index (P<0.05), increased Bcl-2 expression (P<0.05), and reduced Bax and caspase-3
expressions in the liver tissues following HIRI (P<0.05). Compared with low doses of propofol and resveratrol used alone, their
combination showed more obvious protective effects against hepatocyte apoptosis (P<0.05), but at higher doses, propofol and
resveratrol either alone or in combination produced similar effects. Conclusions Propofol and resveratrol can suppress
HIRI-induced hepatocyte apoptosis by up-regulating Bcl-2 and down-regulating Bax and caspase-3 expressions, and their
combined use can reduce the effective doses of the drugs.