Cordycepin Protects against Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Inhibiting MAPK/NF-κB Pathway

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a common complication of liver surgery requiring hepatic disconnection, such as hepatectomy and liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cordycepin on HIRI and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Balb/c mice were randomly divided into six groups: a normal control group, sham group, H-cordycepin group, HIRI group, L-cordycepin (25 mg/kg) + HIRI group, and H-cordycepin (50 mg/kg) + HIRI group. Mice were subjected to I/R, and cordycepin was intragastrically administered for seven consecutive days before surgery. Orbital blood and liver specimens were collected at 6 and 24 h after HIRI. Serum levels of ALT and AST were decreased in the cordycepin pretreatment groups. Notably, cordycepin attenuated the inflammatory response and the production of proapoptosis proteins, while increasing expression of antiapoptosis proteins and decreasing expression of autophagy-linked proteins. Furthermore, cordycepin inhibited activation of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. Collectively, these results indicate that cordycepin pretreatment ameliorated hepatocyte injury caused by HIRI. As compared with the HIRI group, cordycepin pretreatment mitigated the inflammatory response and inhibited apoptosis and autophagy via regulation of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway.