BM-MSCs protect against liver ischemia/reperfusion injury via HO-1 mediated autophagy

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is considered to be a contributing factor in liver injury following major hepatic resection or liver transplantation. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have the potential to protect against liver I/R injury; however, the precise mechanisms have not been completely elucidated. Autophagy serves an important role in protecting against various injuries, including I/R injury. The present study aimed to determine the role of autophagy and its potential regulatory mechanism in BM-MSC-mediated protection against liver I/R injury in rats. The results demonstrated that BM-MSCs mitigated I/R injury and enhanced autophagy in vivo. In addition, inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine reversed the positive effects of BM-MSCs. Furthermore, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression was promoted by BM-MSCs. Using zinc protoporphyrin IX to inhibit HO-1 demonstrated that HO-1 was important for the promotion of autophagy. In conclusion, the present study revealed that BM-MSCs protected against liver I/R injury via the promotion of HO-1-mediated autophagy.