AIM: To investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of Wy14643 on hepatic ischemiareperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.METHODS: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 220-280 g were randomly divided into five experimental groups: sham group (G1, n = 6): a sham operation was performed (except for liver I/R);I/R-untreated group (G2, n = 6): rats underwent liver ischemia for 90 min followed by reperfusion for 4h; and I/R + Wy14643 groups (G3, G4, G5, n =6): after the same surgical procedure as in group 2,animals were pretreated with Wy14643 at the dose of 1, 5 and 10 mg/kg 1 h before ischemia, respectively.Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) was induced by clamping blood supply to the left lateral and median lobes of the liver for 90 min, and atraumatic clamp was removed for 4 h reperfusion. Blood samples and liver tissues were obtained at the end of reperfusion to assess serum and hepatic tissue homogenate aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), myeloperoxidase (MPO), serum interleukin1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α),as well as activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD)and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the hepatic tissue homogenate.RESULTS: Hepatic I/R induced a significant increase in the serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-α, IL-1β and MPO, as well as the levels of ALT, AST and MDA in the liver tissue homogenate, which were reduced by pretreatment with Wy14643 at the dose of 1, 5 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. The activity of SOD in the liver tissue homogenate was decreased after hepatic I/R, which was enhanced by Wy14643 pretreatment.In addition, serum and liver tissue homogenate ALT and AST in the Wy14643 10 mg/kg group were lower than in the Wy14643 1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg groups,respectively.CONCLUSION: Wy14643 pretreatment exerts significant protection against hepatic I/R injury in rats. The protective effects are possibly associated with enhancement of anti-oxidant and inhibition inflammation response.