【Abstract】 Objective To study the effects of ischemic preconditioning (IP) on the activity of nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） and the expressions of TNF-α and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) during early reperfusion following liver transplantation in rats. Methods The models of rat orthotopic liver transplantation were established. The donor livers were stored for 2 hours in Ringers solution at 4 ℃ before transplantation. All rats were randomly divided into sham operation group （SO group）， control group and IP group. IP group was achieved by clamping the portal vein and hepatic artery of donor liver for 10 minutes followed by reperfusion for 10 minutes before harvesting. The activity of NF-κB and expressions of TNF-α and ICAM-1 at 1 h, 2 h, 4 h and 6 h after reperfusion were measured. Serum ALT, LDH were also determined. Results The liver function of recipients with IP were significantly improved. Compared with SO group， the graft NF-κB activity increased after transplantation in control group and IP group (P＜0.05), while compared with control group that was significantly attenuated at 1 h and 2 h in IP group. Similarly, hepatic levels of TNF-α and ICAM-1 were significantly elevated in control group and were reduced in IP group. Conclusion IP might down-regulated TNF-α and ICAM-1 expression in the grafts after orthotopic liver transplantation through depressed NF-κB activation， and attenuate neutrophil infiltration in the grafts after reperfusion.