The content of hydrogen sulfide in plasma of cirrhosis rats combined with portal hypertension and the correlation with indexes of liver function and liver fibrosis

The purpose of this study is to investigate the content of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) in plasma of cirrhosis rats combined with portal hypertension and the correlation with indexes of liver function and liver fibrosis. Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group (NC), liver cirrhosis group (LC) and cirrhosis + propargylglycine (PPG) group (LC+PPG). Cirrhosis and portal hypertension were induced by carbon tetrachloride. Rats in LC+PPG group were intraperitoneally injected with H(2)S synthase inhibitor PPG for one week. Portal vein catheterization was used to measure portal vein pressure (PVP), and plasma H(2)S content was determined by deproteinization. Liver function was measured by automatic biochemical analyzer, and the fibrosis index was determined by radioimmunoassay. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression levels of type I and type III collagen mRNA in liver tissue. Compared with NC group, levels of plasma H(2)S were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while PVP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), laminin (LN), hyaluronic acid (HA), and expression levels of type III procollagen (PC III) and type I and type III collagen mRNAs were significantly increased in LC and LC+PPG groups (P<0.01). Compared with LC group, levels of plasma H(2)S were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while PVP, ALT, AST, LN, HA, and expression levels of PC III and type I and type III collagen mRNAs in LC+PPG group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In conclusion, level of H(2)S was decreased and PVP was increased in cirrhosis rats, and H(2)S has the function of protecting liver function and anti-fibrosis.