Cerium-Doped Bioactive Glass Fibers Attenuate Oxidative Stress and Support Early Liver Regeneration Following Partial Hepatectomy

Partial hepatectomy (PH) causes bleeding and oxidative stress, which can slow early liver recovery. To address this, we made cerium-doped bioactive glass fibers (Ce-BGFs) using sol–gel electrospinning. We tested these fibers both in vitro and in a 70% PH mouse model. The fibers showed sustained ion release and lowered H2O2-induced ROS in hepatocytes. In vivo, Ce-BGFs lowered hepatic ROS fluorescence on postoperative day 1 compared to untreated PH controls (4.17 ± 1.20 vs. 34.52 ± 1.47). Serum AST levels decreased (66.42 ± 15.93 vs. 89.62 ± 16.66 U/L). Ce-BGFs also reduced blood loss (0.039 ± 0.016 vs. 0.102 ± 0.038 g) and bleeding times (13.67 ± 3.21 vs. 37.00 ± 1.73 s). By day 3, we observed more Ki67-positive cells, suggesting better early hepatocyte proliferation (3.92 ± 1.25% vs. 1.14 ± 0.29%). However, liver-to-body weight ratios were not significantly different at this stage. Proteomic profiling showed enrichment in pathways for oxidative stress, inflammation, and pentose phosphate metabolism. Ce-BGF treatment also led to time-dependent cytokine changes and helped preserve liver glycogen after PH. In addition, the PAS-positive area at postoperative day 1 was higher with Ce-BGF treatment than with untreated PH (10.27 ± 1.31% vs. 3.50 ± 1.03%), indicating greater hepatic glycogen preservation. These results show that Ce-BGFs provide local hemostasis and are associated with reduced oxidative stress, attenuated liver injury, enhanced early hepatocyte proliferation, and greater glycogen preservation after PH.