Objective Biliary epithelial cell (BEC) proliferated actively induced by ischemia-type biliary lesion (ITBL), which played an important role in the development of biliary complication after orthortopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aims of this study is to provide novel method to protect the liver endured cold preservation and reperfusion injury (CPRI) and reduce posttransplant biliary complication, and explore its possible mechanism.Methods Based on constructed OLT models for studying ITBL, the hepatic oval cell (HOC) or the IL-13 genemodified HOC to the portal vein of the recipient 〔OLT+HOC group and OLT+IL-13· HOC group〕 were-transfused, then the pathology change, the liver function and the expressions of the α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA of the transplanted liver of CPRI were observed, the proliferation of BEC and survival rate of the recipients were also observed. Results The BEC injury was showed in grafts with prolonged ischemia time, characterized by induction of BEC proliferation, liver function injury and cholestasis sign reflecting the increase of serum ALT, AST and TBIL. The OLT+IL-13·HOC group had better results than OLT and OLT+HOC group, which indicated the OLT+IL-13·HOC group had low level of expression α-SMA (after operation 7 d, Plt;0.05) and proliferation of BEC (after operation 3 d, Plt;0.05). The expressions of HO-1 mRNA were higher in OLT+IL-13·HOC group than in other groups. The survival rate of OLT group was lower than that of the OLT+IL-13·HOC group and sham operation group (Plt;0.05).Conclusion High expression level of IL-13 in recipient rats could promote the expression of HO-1 mRNA in transplant liver, and profit to protection donor liver, and recover of the liver function after liver transplantation. It perhaps is the mechanism of protective effect of IL-13 on graft that stimulate the expression of HO-1 mRNA significantly.