Comparative study of amlodipine vs. cilnidipine for the prevention of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat model.

Ca2+ signaling plays crucial role in ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Although blockade of L-type Ca2+ channels by amlodipine (AML) has been shown to suppress hepatic I/R injury in several animal models, information is still needed regarding the hepatoprotective effects of the dual L/N-type Ca2+ channel blockers, cilnidipine (CIL). We examined the effect of pretreatment with AML or CIL (100 μg/kg i.p.) 45 min before induction of 60 min of liver ischemia followed by reperfusion, on oxidative stress markers, liver enzymes, serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, apoptosis markers, and nuclear factor KB after 6 and 24 h of hepatic reperfusion. Both drugs significantly ameliorated biochemical and histological markers of hepatic I/R injury, but protection with CIL was more significant at the 6-h time point where protection with AML outlasted that of CIL. Both drugs offered significant protection against hepatic I/R damage, but the protection with CIL seemed more potent but of shorter duration than that observed with AML possibly due to the shorter half-life of CIL.