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Multiple mechanisms are involved in regulating hepatic ischemia‑reperfusion injury (IRI), in which Kupffer cells (KCs), which are liver‑resident macrophages, play critical roles by regulating inflammation and the immune response. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a pan‑histone deacetylase inhibitor, has anti‑inflammatory effects and induces autophagy. To investigate whether SAHA ameliorates IRI and the mechanisms by which SAHA exerts its effects, an orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) rat model was established after treatment with SAHA. The results showed that SAHA effectively ameliorated OLT‑induced IRI by reducing M1 polarization of KCs through inhibition of the AKT/glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β/NF‑κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, the present study found that SAHA upregulates autophagy 5 protein (ATG5)/LC3B in KCs through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and inhibition of autophagy by knockdown of ATG5 in KCs partly impaired the protective effect of SAHA on IR‑injured liver. Therefore, the current study demonstrated that SAHA reduces M1 polarization of KCs by inhibiting the AKT/GSK3β/NF‑κB pathway and upregulates autophagy in KCs through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which both alleviate OLT‑induced IRI. The present study revealed that SAHA may be a novel treatment for the amelioration of OLT‑induced IRI.

Rapid growth of residual tumors can occur as a result of their recurrence and progression. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-2 subunit α (HIF-2α), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular A2 (EphA2) and angiogenesis in residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), following treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation, in order to investigate the association between protein expression and tumor recurrence and growth. Athymic BALB/c (nu/nu) mice were subcutaneously inoculated with the HCC cell line HepG2, in order to create xenograft tumors. Approximately 30 days post-inoculation, eight mice were treated with HIFU, whereas eight mice received no treatment and acted as the control group. Residual tumor tissues were obtained from the experimental groups after one month. Levels of HIF-2α, VEGFA, EphA2 and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) expression was measured by immunohistochemical staining. CD31-positive vascular endothelial cells were counted to calculate microvascular density (MVD), and western blot analysis was performed to determine levels of HIF-2α, VEGFA, and EphA2 protein. It was found that the expression levels of HIF-2α, VEGFA, EphA2, and MVD proteins in residual HCC tissues were significantly higher than in the control group tissues (P