Multi-time point transcriptomics and metabolomics reveal key transcription and metabolic features of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is an unavoidable surgical complication of liver transplantation and the leading cause of poor graft function and increased mortality post-transplantation. Multiple mechanisms have been implicated in ischemia-reperfusion injury; however, the characteristic changes at the transcriptional and metabolic levels in the early, intermediate, and late phases of ischemia-reperfusion injury remain unclear. In the study, mice underwent laparotomy following anesthesia, and the blood vessels of the liver were clipped using a vascular clamp to form 70% warm ischemia of the liver. Mouse liver sections and serum samples were collected and divided into the Sham, I1R12, I1R24, and I1R48 groups. Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses were performed to study characteristic alterations during the early, intermediate, and late phases of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate the critical differentially expressed genes. The differentially expressed genes and metabolites were identified by transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses. Moreover, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that glucose metabolism remodeling, inflammatory response activation, and lipid metabolism remodeling were characteristic changes in the early, intermediate, and late phases of ischemia-reperfusion injury, respectively. In summary, our study revealed the importance of glucolipid metabolism in ischemia-reperfusion injury and provided potential therapeutic intervention targets and a new perspective to explore the underlying mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury.