Changes of serum and urinary neopterin concentrations in rats after partial hepatectomy

Objective: To investigate the changes in serum and urinary neopterin concentrations over time after partial hepatectomy in rats, and to find out if neopterin can be used as a marker of immunological response during the regulation of liver regeneration. Design: Randomised experiment. Setting: University hospital, Taiwan, R.O.C. Subjects. 84 male Wistar rats weighing about 200g. Interventions: Partial hepatectomy (67%) or sham operation (n = 42 in each group). Main outcome measures: Serum and urinary neopterin concentrations measured by radioimmunoassay preoperatively and on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 postoperatively. Results: Serum neopterin concentrations increased and reached their peak on days 5 and 7 after partial hepatectomy. The urinary neopterin concentration showed a similar trend, but with a more pronounced increase on days 5 and 7. Conclusions: Serum and urinary neopterin concentrations can be used as markers of activated cell-mediated immunity in rats after partial hepatectomy.