Mouratidou C, Pavlidis ET, Katsanos G, Kofinas A, Marneri AG, Stavrati KE, Tsoulfas G, Pavlidis TE. Preconditioning with sufentanil confers protective effects in transplantation by attenuating hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. World J Transplant 2026; 16(2): 120865 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.120865]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Theodoros E Pavlidis, MD, Professor Emeritus, The Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Konstantinoupoleos 49, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece. pavlidth@auth.gr
Research Domain of This Article
Surgery
Article-Type of This Article
review-article
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World J Transplant. Jun 18, 2026; 16(2): 120865 Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.120865
Preconditioning with sufentanil confers protective effects in transplantation by attenuating hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury
Christina Mouratidou, Efstathios T Pavlidis, Georgios Katsanos, Athanasios Kofinas, Alexandra G Marneri, Kalliopi E Stavrati, Georgios Tsoulfas, Theodoros E Pavlidis
Christina Mouratidou, Alexandra G Marneri, Department of Intensive Care Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Efstathios T Pavlidis, Theodoros E Pavlidis, The Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Georgios Katsanos, Athanasios Kofinas, Georgios Tsoulfas, Department of Transplantation Surgery, Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Medicine, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Kalliopi E Stavrati, Department of Surgical, Eugenideio Hospital, Athens 11528, Greece
Co-corresponding authors: Efstathios T Pavlidis and Theodoros E Pavlidis.
Author contributions: Mouratidou C, Pavlidis ET conceived the study design and carried out data analysis; Marneri AG, Stavrati KE, Tsoulfas G developed analytical tools, assessed the data, and contributed to manuscript revision; Katsanos G, Kofinas A, assisted with data collection and interpretation; Pavlidis TE, supervised data analysis, reviewed the manuscript, and approved the paper; Pavlidis ET and Pavlidis TE contributed equally to this manuscript as co-corresponding authors; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Theodoros E Pavlidis, MD, Professor Emeritus, The Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Konstantinoupoleos 49, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece. pavlidth@auth.gr
Received: March 10, 2026 Revised: March 30, 2026 Accepted: April 9, 2026 Published online: June 18, 2026 Processing time: 80 Days and 15.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Ferroptosis is critically involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, primarily through the coordinated disruption of iron homeostasis, lipid peroxidation processes, and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Ferroptosis is characterized by morphological and biochemical features that differentiate it from apoptosis and necrosis; the inhibition of ferroptosis results in the reduction of injury markers, improving liver function in an experimental setting. Beyond its established analgesic properties, sufentanil may confer hepatoprotective effects by modulating pathways associated with ferroptosis. Investigating the interplay between sufentanil and ferroptotic mechanisms could yield valuable therapeutic strategies that enhance clinical outcomes in liver surgery and transplantation.
