The response of the rabbit rectus femoris muscle to ischemia and reperfusion.

The rectus femoris muscle of the rabbit is perfused by a single artery and vein and is a valuable new model for study of ischemia-reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle. The consequences of increasing duration of ischemia to the rectus femoris have been examined. Postischemic muscle survival (means +/- SEM), as measured by Nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) staining 24 hr after ischemia, was 90.5 +/- 1.5% after 2 hr normothermic ischemia, 77.1 +/- 7.7% after 3 hr, 41.8 +/- 7.6% after 3 1/2 hr, and 10.7 +/- 8.7% after 4 hr. Histology confirmed the NBT findings at 24 hr and showed considerable regeneration of muscle fibers 1-2 weeks after injury. The injury caused by 3 1/2 hr normothermic ischemia is the most suitable baseline for study of the effects of pharmacological agents in ischemic muscle injury. Further study of the effects of 3 1/2 hr ischemia by a quantitative Evan's blue method revealed a rapid increase in vascular permeability commencing at the start of reperfusion and lasting for 5-6 hr. Vascular labeling with saccharated ferric oxide showed widespread labeling of venules within the injured muscle and electron microscopic examination showed severe injury to both leaking and nonleaking small blood vessels. However, increased vascular permeability accounted for only a small part of the increase in weight of ischemic muscle.     

Postischemic hypothermia diminishes skeletal muscle reperfusion edema

The mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle remain controversial. We investigated the ability of postischemic hypothermia to diminish reperfusion edema and improve skeletal muscle pH in a bilateral, in vivo isolated canine gracilis muscle model. In five anesthetized animals, both gracilis muscles were subjected to 6 hr of ischemia followed by 1 hr of reperfusion. After 5 hr of warm ischemia, one gracilis muscle was cooled to 21 degrees C (cold reperfusion, CR) while the contralateral gracilis muscle was maintained at ambient temperature (warm reperfusion, WR). Reperfusion muscle edema was quantitated by measurement of gracilis muscle weight gain. Interstitial muscle pH was monitored by glass microelectrodes. Vascular permeability was measured by analysis of albumin (125I-Alb) leak. Results are presented as the means +/- SEM. (table; see text) Postischemic hypothermia significantly increased the interstitial muscle pH and significantly reduced postreperfusion muscle edema, without changing the vascular permeability to albumin. These data suggest that hypothermia may provide a clinical method for salvaging ischemic skeletal muscle from the postreperfusion edema that can lead to compartment syndromes, reperfusion injury, and subsequent limb loss.     

Assessment of ischemia reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle by macromolecular clearance

Qualitative changes in skeletal muscle injury after ischemia are well known; however, quantitative assessments have not been well documented. We have determined microvascular permeability changes by measuring the clearance of fluorescein-labeled dextran of MW 150,000 (FITC-Dextran-150). The cremaster muscle of anesthetized rats was fashioned as a single layer, splayed on a lucite chamber and suffused with bicarbonate buffer solution at 35 degrees C. Clearance is the product of suffusion rate times the ratio of suffusate to plasma concentrations of FITC-Dx 150. After a 1-hr period of baseline data collection, ischemia was produced by cross-clamping the cremasteric vascular pedicle for periods of 30 min and 2 hr in separate experiments. Clearance of FITC-Dx 150 increased from a control value (mean +/- SE) of 8.3 +/- 2.7 to 29.9 +/- 8.1 microliters/min/g after reperfusion following a 30-min period of ischemia, and from a control value of 36.2 +/- 13.6 to 274 +/- 94.5 after 2 hr of ischemia. The differences were statistically significant (P less than 0.05). Our results show a significant increase in microvascular permeability occurring after only 30 min of ischemia. They also demonstrate a direct relationship between the extent of the permeability change and the duration of the ischemic period.     

Sustained benefit of temporary limited reperfusion in skeletal muscle following ischemia

Limiting the rate of reperfusion blood flow following prolonged ischemia in skeletal muscle has been shown beneficial. However, the persistence of this benefit with reinstitution of normal blood flow remains undefined. We investigated the role of temporary limited reperfusion on ischemia-reperfusion injury in an isolated gracilis muscle model in six anesthetized dogs. Both gracilis muscles were subjected to 6 hr of ischemia followed by 2 hr of reperfusion. Reperfusion blood flow was limited for the first hour in one gracilis muscle to its preischemic rate followed by a second hour of normal reperfusion (LR/NR). The contralateral muscle underwent 2 hr of normal reperfusion (NR/NR). Muscle injury was quantified by technetium-99m pyrophosphate (TcPyp) uptake and by histochemical staining using triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) with planimetry of the infarct size. Capillary permeability was evaluated by muscle weight gain. Results are reported as the mean +/- SEM: [table: see text] These data demonstrate a sustained benefit from temporary limited reperfusion. This methodology should be considered in the surgical management of the acutely ischemic limb.     

Iloprost attenuates the increased permeability in skeletal muscle after ischemia and reperfusion.

Increased vascular permeability is an early and sensitive indicator of ischemic muscle injury, occurring before significant histologic or radionuclide changes are evident. We investigated the effect of iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analog, on microvascular permeability in a rat striated muscle model. In six control and six experimental animals the cremaster muscle was dissected, placed in a closed-flow acrylic chamber, and suffused with a bicarbonate buffer solution. Dextran labeled with fluorescein was injected intravenously as a macromolecular tracer, and microvascular permeability was determined on the basis of clearance of the fluorescent tracer. Two hours of ischemia were followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. In the experimental group iloprost (0.5 microgram/kg/min) was given in a continuous intravenous infusion. Microvascular permeability increased significantly during reperfusion in both control and experimental animals (p less than 0.0001). Treatment with iloprost, however, significantly attenuated this response compared to the control group, 4.8 +/- 0.3 versus 7.3 +/- 0.5 microliters/gm/min, respectively (p less than 0.0001). Iloprost decreases the rise in vascular permeability after ischemia and reperfusion. Experimental clinical use of iloprost under controlled conditions in the treatment of patients with acute skeletal muscle ischemia appears justified.     

The temporal relationship between endothelial cell dysfunction and skeletal muscle damage after ischemia and reperfusion.

Reperfusion-induced vascular endothelial cell dysfunction may exacerbate skeletal muscle damage after an ischemic insult. Although concurrent endothelial and skeletal muscle injury has been documented after ischemia and reperfusion, their temporal relationship has not been well characterized. An isolated rat hindlimb model was used to measure the effect of progressive ischemia and reperfusion on both endothelial cell function and skeletal muscle damage. Endothelial cell dysfunction as reflected by changes in permeability was measured by protein clearance techniques with use of albumin labeled with iodine 125 (125I-albumin). Skeletal muscle damage was assessed by tissue uptake of technetium 99m pyrophosphate (99mTc-pyrophosphate). The soleus muscle was used for evaluation of endothelial and skeletal muscle damage throughout the study. Significant increases in vascular permeability preceded skeletal muscle damage. The protein leak index increased after 60 minutes of ischemia and reperfusion (7.5 +/- 1.2 vs 4.1 +/- 0.9 control), whereas the muscle injury index did not change until 120 minutes of ischemia and 60 minutes of reperfusion (10.5 +/- 0.6 vs 4.5 +/- 0.5 control). Significant graded increases in both indexes were noted with longer intervals of ischemia. Electron microscopy revealed ultrastructural evidence of endothelial and skeletal muscle damage after 120 minutes of ischemia and 60 minutes of reperfusion but not after 60 minutes of ischemia and reperfusion. These studies indicate that microvascular injury precedes skeletal muscle damage after ischemia and reperfusion. This temporal relationship may have important implications in designing strategies to minimize ischemia-reperfusion injury.     

Immune-mediated mesangial cell injury--biosynthesis and function of prostanoids

We studied the formation of cyclo-oxygenase products in a rat model of mesangial cell injury, in order to determine a possible role of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin I2 (determined as 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) in immune-mediated glomerular disease. Selective immune-mediated mesangial cell injury was induced by i.v. administration of a rabbit anti-rat thymocyte antiserum (ATS). Intravenous ATS leads to immune deposits in the mesangium followed by mesangiolysis and the infiltration of polymorphonuclear granulocytes and monocytes. Glomerular TxB2 formation two hours (292 +/- 27 pg/mg/min) and 48 hours (396 +/- 69 pg/mg/min) following antibody was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher compared to animals receiving non-antibody rabbit IgG (TxB2: 2 hr 143 +/- 13; 48 hr 171 +/- 32 pg/mg/min). Treatment with cobra venom factor (CVF) and the reduction of glomerular monocyte infiltration inhibited the increase of glomerular TxB2 formation significantly. Depletion of granulocytes with a rabbit anti-rat granulocyte serum had no effect on glomerular prostanoid formation following ATS. Glomerular PGE2 and 6-keto PGF1 alpha production was not altered following ATS. Inulin clearance in rats with immune-mediated mesangial cell injury was significantly (P less than 0.001) lower at two hours (456 +/- 24 microliters/min/100 g body wt) and 48 hours (433 +/- 54 microliters/min/100 g body wt) compared to their corresponding control animals which were treated with non-antibody IgG (2 hr: 914 +/- 51; 48 hr: 694 +/- 79 microliters/min/100 g body wt).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Hypothermia prevents increased capillary permeability following ischemia-reperfusion injury

Severely injured trauma victims are frequently hypothermic. It is unclear, however, whether hypothermia itself is a detrimental or protective physiologic response to injury. One of the major consequences of fluid resuscitation following ischemic injury is edema formation, characterized by ischemia-reperfusion injury models. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of regional hypothermia on a feline intestinal model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. An autoperfused segment of cat ileum was isolated and arterial, venous, and lymphatic vessels were cannulated. Lymph flow (Q1), lymph (C1), and plasma (Cp) protein concentrations and segmental blood flow (Qb) were measured. Permeability changes were characterized by the minimal C1/Cp ratio obtained by elevating venous outflow pressure. Animals were divided into the following groups: Group I: 1 hr of intestinal ischemia (30 mm Hg) with autoreperfusion; Group II: 1 hr of intestinal hypothermia (28 degrees C) with subsequent rewarming; Group III: 1 hr of combined ischemia and hypothermia. Group III animals were either kept hypothermic (IIIA) or rewarmed (IIIB) during autoreperfusion. Minimal C1/Cp ratios (mean +/- SEM) were as follows: Control: 0.15 +/- 0.02; Group I*: 0.32 +/- 0.03; Group II: 0.15 +/- 0.01; Group IIIA: 0.18 +/- 0.02; Group IIIB*: 0.42 +/- 0.02; (* = P less than 0.01 vs control). Reperfusion flow rates were no different between Group IIIA and Group IIIB animals. Ischemia-reperfusion, but not hypothermia alone, caused a marked increase in intestinal capillary permeability. Permeability increased after combined ischemia and hypothermia only if reperfusion was accompanied by rewarming. Hypothermic reperfusion protected against the increased permeability following ischemia.     

Rate of reperfusion blood flow modulates reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle

The mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury in skeletal muscle remain controversial. We investigated the effect of the rate of reperfusion blood flow on I-R injury in an isolated in vivo canine gracilis muscle model in six anesthetized dogs. In all animals, both gracilis muscles were subjected to 6 hr of ischemia followed by 1 hr of reperfusion. During reperfusion, one gracilis artery was partially occluded to limit the rate of reperfusion blood flow to its preischemic rate (limited reperfusion, LR), while the contralateral artery was allowed to perfuse freely at a normal rate (normal reperfusion, NR). Muscle injury was quantified by histochemical staining (triphenyltetrazolium chloride, TTC) with computerized planimetry of the infarct size, and by spectrophotometric determination of technetium-99m pyrophosphate uptake. Endothelial permeability was quantified by measurement of gracilis muscle weight gain and 125I-albumin radioactivity after intravenous injection. Results are presented as the means +/- SEM, and differences are considered to be statistically significant if P less than 0.05 by Student's t test for paired data. LR resulted in significantly less blood flow (9.7 +/- 1.7 cc/min/100 g) when compared to NR (55.7 +/- 11.6 cc/min/100 g). I-R injury was significantly reduced by LR as evidenced by a decrease in TTC infarct size from 41 +/- 7% to 11 +/- 5%, and a decrease in technetium-99m pyrophosphate uptake from 512 +/- 20 to 163 +/- 44 X 10(3) counts/min/g. LR also significantly decreased the postreperfusion edema formation as evidenced by a reduction in the muscle weight gain from 27 +/- 6 to 9 +/- 1 g, and a reduction in the 125I-albumin radioactivity from 45 +/- 14 to 32 +/- 8 counts/min/g. These data suggest that the hyperemic rate of reperfusion blood flow is a significant factor in the pathophysiology of postreperfusion edema and that clinical control of reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle may be achieved by limiting the rate of reperfusion blood flow.     

Iloprost infusion decreases skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Iloprost (a long-acting prostacyclin analog) has been demonstrated to decrease cardiac muscle infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion injury. We investigated the ability of iloprost to decrease skeletal muscle injury and platelet sequestration after ischemia-reperfusion injury in a canine bilateral isolated gracilis muscle model. Anesthesized animals (n = 13) were subjected to 6 hours of gracilis muscle ischemia and 1 hour of reperfusion. Fifteen minutes before muscle reperfusion, the animals were infused with radium 111-labeled autogenous platelets. Experimental animals (n = 7) received a continuous preischemic intravenous infusion of iloprost (0.45 microgram/kg/hr) and two 0.45 microgram/kg intravenous injections of iloprost (10 minutes before the ischemic interval and 10 minutes before reperfusion). Muscle injury was measured with triphenyltetrazolium chloride histochemical staining. Platelet sequestration within ischemic muscle specimens was determined by measuring indium 111 activity in a gamma counter. Iloprost infusion decreased muscle infarct size from 57.0% +/- 12.6% in control animals to 15.8% +/- 4.4% in experimental animals (p less than 0.05). Platelet uptake in experimental and control muscle was 1.2 +/- 0.21 x 10(7) and 2.17 +/- 0.48 x 10(7) platelets/gm ischemic muscle, respectively (p = 0.1). Although platelet sequestration was not altered significantly in this experiment, a reduction in skeletal muscle injury was confirmed. Further investigation on the mechanisms of action of iloprost in chronic and acute skeletal muscle ischemia is warranted.     

Role of iron in postischemic renal injury in the rat

To determine whether iron participates in free radical-mediated postischemic renal injury and lipid peroxidation, we examined the effects of removal of endogenous iron or provision of exogenous iron following renal ischemia, as well as the effects of renal ischemia and reperfusion on renal venous and urinary "free" iron. Rats underwent 60 minutes of renal ischemia and were studied after either 24 hours (inulin clearance) or 15 minutes (renal malondialdehyde content) of reperfusion. Infusion of the iron chelator deferoxamine (200 mg/kg/hr) during the first 60 minutes of reperfusion resulted in a marked improvement in renal function (inulin clearance: 879 +/- 154 vs. 314 +/- 74 microliter/min; P less than 0.025) and a reduction in lipid peroxidation (renal malondialdehyde: 0.449 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.698 +/- 0.08 mmol/mg prot; P less than 0.05) compared to control animals. Infusion of 50 mg/kg/hr deferoxamine also protected renal function after ischemia (inulin clearance: 624 +/- 116 vs. 285 +/- 90 microliter/min; P less than 0.05) and resulted in less histologic injury. Iron-saturated deferoxamine had no protective effect. Conversely, infusion of the iron complex EDTA-FeCl3 during reperfusion exacerbated postischemic renal dysfunction and lipid peroxidation. Following renal ischemia there was no detectable increase in "free" iron in arterial or renal venous plasma. However, urinary "free" iron increased 10- to 20-fold following reperfusion. Iron chelators which underwent filtration and gained access to this free iron in the urine (free deferoxamine or inulin-conjugated deferoxamine) provided protection, whereas a chelator confined to the vascular space (dextran-conjugated deferoxamine) did not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The production of tumor necrosis factor alpha and the development of a pulmonary capillary injury following hepatic ischemia/reperfusion

The large mass of fixed macrophages resident in the liver make it a potentially rich source of cytokines. We have previously demonstrated that an isolated and severe ischemia/reperfusion injury to the liver results in cytokine release, specifically tumor necrosis factor alpha, and that TNF is then involved in the development of pulmonary pathology. This study was designed to determine the kinetics of TNF release following varying periods of hepatic ischemia and to further investigate the acute lung injury that follows. Suprahepatic blood samples were obtained at serial time points following a 45-, 60-, 75-, or 90-min ischemic insult to a segment of the rat liver with subsequent reperfusion. Using a bioassay based on the WEHI 164 cell line, plasma TNF levels were measured in all experimental animals; sham-operated control animals had undetectable levels. Changes in pulmonary capillary permeability were then measured using a standard 125I-labeled albumin washout technique following a 90-min ischemic insult with subsequent reperfusion. A significant increase in the mean permeability index was observed 9 to 12 hr following hepatic reperfusion (.601 +/- 102 as compared with .114 +/- .085 in sham-operated controls, P less than 0.005). Animals treated with anti-TNF antiserum prior to the induction of hepatic ischemia had a significantly reduced pulmonary capillary leak compared to animals pretreated with rabbit serum without TNF-blocking properties (.184 +/- .029 versus .694 +/- 052 for the control serum, P less than 0.005). TNF release follows both moderate and severe ischemic injury to the liver and the results reported here implicate TNF as an important mediator of increased pulmonary capillary permeability. These experiments confirm previous histologic studies that demonstrated pulmonary edema and intra-alveolar hemorrhage following hepatic ischemia/reperfusion, with subsequent blockade of the histologic injury by pretreatment with anti-TNF antiserum.     

Blockade of complement activation prevents local and pulmonary albumin leak after lower torso ischemia-reperfusion.

Lower torso ischemia and reperfusion leads to both local and remote tissue injuries. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of complement in mediating the local and remote microvascular permeability after bilateral hind limb tourniquet ischemia. Four hours of ischemia and 4 hours of reperfusion produced an increased skeletal muscle permeability index (muscle/blood 125I albumin ratio) of 2.90 +/- 0.35 compared with the index in nonischemic muscle of 0.25 +/- 0.02 (p < 0.01). Muscle wet-to-dry-weight ratio increased from 3.93 +/- 0.04 in sham to 5.55 +/- 0.09 in ischemic muscle (p < 0.0001). Lung permeability rose at 4 hours as indicated by the increased bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)/blood 125I albumin ratio 4.36 +/- 0.41 x 10(-3) versus sham 2.64 +/- 0.28 x 10(-3) (p < 0.05) and neutrophil sequestration 0.28 +/- 0.02 U/g myeloperoxidase (MPO) versus sham 0.14 +/- 0.02 U/g (p < 0.001). Serum lytic activity of the classical but not the alternate complement pathway was reduced. The soluble complement receptor (sCR1) was used to inhibit complement activity and attenuated the increase in the permeability index after reperfusion in ischemic muscle 1.11 +/- 0.08 (p < 0.01) and reduced the lung BAL/blood 125I albumin ratio to sham levels 2.46 +/- 0.39 x 10(-3) (p < 0.05) at 6 mg/animal, without reducing the lung neutrophil sequestration, 0.24 +/- 0.02 U/g. The authors conclude that complement activation occurred during tourniquet ischemia and mediated permeability changes in the ischemic muscle and the lungs during reperfusion.     

Acute ischemia-reperfusion injury in the canine hindlimb

A canine arterial ligation preparation was used to produce whole limb ischemia-reperfusion injury. Alterations in the distribution of arterial blood flow as well as the morphology of skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion have not been investigated completely in this setting. Five anesthetized adult mongrel dogs underwent multiple infrarenal aortic branch ligations; one randomly selected hindlimb was subjected to six hours of ischemia and two hours of reperfusion, while the opposite limb served as control. Distribution of arterial blood flow was analyzed by injection of radiolabeled microspheres. Electromagnetically measured femoral arterial blood flow was 92 +/- 10 ml/min during control, and increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 254 +/- 94 ml/min during reperfusion. Flow distribution to skin, muscle, and bone was 9 +/- 2%, 68 +/- 7%, and 8 +/- 1% during control, and 7 +/- 3%, 65 +/- 8%, and 9 +/- 4% after reperfusion, which did not represent significant changes. Arteriovenous shunting was 11 +/- 4% during control, and was 13 +/- 5% during reperfusion, which was not significantly different. Subcellular injury in the ischemic and reperfused hindlimb was demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. These findings further characterize whole limb ischemia-reperfusion injury in the canine hindlimb.     

Evidence for neutrophil-related acute lung injury after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common and important clinical event associated with the activation of an endogenous inflammatory response. Some of the mediators of this response may be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple organ system failure. The purpose of this study was to determine whether remote organ dysfunction--specifically, acute lung injury--occurs after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. After an ischemia-reperfusion event in rat intestine, whole lungs were obtained for measurement of tissue adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and myeloperoxidase values, and evaluation of histologic condition. In addition, lung microvascular permeability was assessed by determination of the rate at which iodine 125-labeled bovine serum albumin sequestration in the extravascular compartment occurred. Lung tissue ATP levels were no different in sham-operated animals than in those that had undergone 120 minutes of intestinal ischemia. Within 15 minutes of gut reperfusion, however, lung ATP decreased from 3.82 +/- 0.27 to 1.53 +/- 0.90 x 10(-7) moles/50 mg tissue, p less than 0.05. Neutrophil accumulation in the lungs, estimated by tissue myeloperoxidase determination, increased sevenfold (0.13 +/- 0.02 to 0.97 +/- 0.25 units/gm, p less than 0.05) after 120 minutes of ischemia and 15 minutes of reperfusion. Lung microvascular permeability increased threefold after 120 minutes of intestinal ischemia and 120 minutes of reperfusion (0.10 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.35 +/- 0.05 [lung/blood counts per minute], p less than 0.05). Intestinal ischemia followed by reperfusion is associated with acute lung injury characterized by increased microvascular permeability, histologic evidence of alveolar capillary endothelial cell injury, reduced lung tissue ATP levels, and the pulmonary sequestration of neutrophils. These data confirm an acute lung injury associated with intestinal ischemia-reperfusion and suggest a possible pathogenic role for the neutrophil.     

Superoxide anion release (O2-) after ischemia and reperfusion.

Neutrophils have been implicated as mediators of the reperfusion injury following ischemia. In order to measure neutrophil activation, O2- was determined after 2 hr of ischemia followed by 1 hr of reperfusion (no clinical reperfusion injury) and 3 hr of ischemia followed by 1 hr of reperfusion (significant clinical reperfusion injury). Using New Zealand white rabbits, baseline blood samples were drawn from an ear artery. The right iliac and femoral arteries were exposed and clamped. Just prior to clamp release, blood was obtained from the right iliac vein (ischemia). After 1 hr of reperfusion, blood was again taken from the right iliac vein (reperfusion). Neutrophils were isolated from the blood samples. O2- was determined by the reduction of cytochrome c using a spectrophotometer. In the 2-hr group, results (expressed as mumole O2-/min/2 x 10(6) cells) were: baseline, 0.337 +/- 0.025; ischemia, 0.512 +/- 0.039;* and reperfusion, 0.634 +/- 0.064*. (*P less than .05 as compared to baseline). In the 3-hr group, results were: baseline, 0.391 +/- 0.038; ischemia, 0.413 +/- 0.051; and reperfusion, 0.258 +/- 0.043** (**P less than 0.05 as compared to 2 hr reperfusion). A significant increase in O2- was seen after 2 hr of ischemia followed by 1 hr of reperfusion. However, little O2- increase was seen after 3 hr of ischemia and a significant O2- decrease was seen after 1 hr of reperfusion. We conclude: (1) Neutrophil O2- is stimulated early in ischemia followed by reperfusion; (2) after reperfusion injury occurs (3 hr), neutrophils have been activated and O2- can no longer be stimulated; and (3) O2- in this model may be involved in the clinical reperfusion injury seen.     

Leukocyte activation in ischemia-reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) participation in the pathophysiology of the reperfusion injury following skeletal muscle ischemia has become recognized. We measured the activation of PMNs as evidenced by production of superoxide anion (O2-) in the isolated canine gracilis muscle preparation of ischemia-reperfusion injury. PMNs were isolated from the gracilis muscle venous effluent and central venous blood after 6 hr of bilateral gracilis ischemia and 1 hr of reperfusion in five dogs. Baseline samples were obtained prior to ischemia from the central venous circulation. Liberation of O2- from PMNs and from PMNs stimulated by opsonized zymosan was determined by measuring ferricytochrome reduction. Results are expressed as nanomoles of O2- produced/2 x 10(6) PMN +/- SEM. O2- production by unstimulated cells was increased from 0.33 +/- 0.15 nmole in the baseline samples to 0.96 +/- 0.08 nmole in the central venous sample (P less than 0.01). With stimulation by zymosan, production increased from 10.3 +/- 1.4 nmole in the baseline samples to 15.2 +/- 1.1 nmole in the central venous sample (P less than 0.05) and to 15.5 +/- 0.9 nmole in the gracilis venous sample (P less than 0.01). These increases in superoxide production were not seen in the three sham-operated animals. Mean infarct size determined by planimetry was 55%. O2- produced by PMNs from central venous blood correlated with infarct size (r = 0.934, P = 0.02). These data imply that PMNs are activated by muscular ischemia, and the degree of activation is directly related to the extent of the muscle infarction.     

Glycine preserves function and decreases necrosis in skeletal muscle undergoing ischemia and reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND: Glycine (GLY) is a neutral amino acid that has been shown to be cytoprotective in the kidneys of dogs and rabbits undergoing ischemia-reperfusion injury. To investigate whether GLY exhibits a protective effect on skeletal muscle subjected to ischemia and reperfusion injury, we used a well-described gracilis muscle model in canines. METHODS: Twelve adult mongrel dogs were subjected to 6 hours of ischemia in 1 randomly selected side. The dogs were randomized into 2 groups: group 1 (6 animals) underwent 15 minutes of perfusion with 2.2% GLY, and group 2 (6 animals) underwent 15 minutes of perfusion with normal saline solution (NS) only. Both groups had normothermic reperfusion for 1 hour along with the corresponding perfusate. Muscle biopsy specimens were taken, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -70 degrees C. Muscle injury was evaluated at 48 hours by measuring weight gain (edema), maximal contractile force, and percent of muscle necrosis. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (Pcr) (an energy store for ATP synthesis) levels were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: In group 1, the average weight gain was 57% +/- 11.27% while in group 2 it was 100% +/- 12.48%. Maximal muscle contractile force was 712.5 +/- 68 g for group 1 and 511 +/- 27.91 g for group 2. The amount of muscle necrosis was 30 +/- 3.7% in group 1, as opposed to 63 +/- 10% in group 2. The ATP content was 0.07 +/- 0.03 nmol/mg wet tissue weight (post-ischemia with NS) and 0.21 +/- 0.08 nmol/mg wet tissue weight (post-ischemia with GLY). Pcr content was 0.19 +/- 0.04 mmol/mg wet tissue weight (post-ischemia with NS) and 0.27 +/- 0.04 micromol/mg wet tissue (post-ischemia and infused with GLY) (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that GLY preserves muscle function, decreases edema and the amount of muscle necrosis and preserves energy stores in this canine model. Because GLY can be safely given systemically in human beings in higher concentrations than that given in our model, as it is given in parenteral nutrition, its mechanism of action should be further investigated for its potential use in the clinical setting of ischemia and reperfusion injury.     

A model to study total hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND: Most experimental animal models for studying hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) involve partial or segmental ischemia of the liver or a portocaval shunt procedure to avoid mesenteric congestion. However, these do not reflect the global ischemia that occurs during liver transplantation. A rabbit model of total hepatic ischemia without a portocaval shunt is described. METHODS: Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits (3.5 +/- 0.3 kg) were allocated to four groups: group 1 (n = 5), sham-operated; group 2 (n = 5), 20-minute total hepatic ischemia; group 3 (n = 5), 25-minute total hepatic ischemia; and group 4 (n = 5), 30-minute total hepatic ischemia. Total hepatic ischemia was induced by occluding the portal inflow vessels (portal vein and artery) with an atraumatic vascular loop and were measurements taken for 2 hours during reperfusion. RESULTS: A total hepatic ischemia of 30 minutes caused severe liver injury resulting in cardiac arrest at 2 hours of reperfusion in all five animals due to metabolic acidosis. Twenty minutes of total ischemia was tolerated and did not produce significant liver injury. Twenty-five minutes of total ischemia was tolerated but at 2 hours of reperfusion, resulted in significant liver injury (68 +/- 41, 283.0 +/- 20.5, and 835.2 +/- 52.7 U/L) compared with the sham-operated group (serum ALT, 25.4 +/- 2.7; serum AST, 47.4 +/- 3.0; serum LDH, 307.6 +/- 44.4 U/L; P < .003). CONCLUSIONS: Rabbits can tolerate 25 minutes of total hepatic ischemia without a portosystemic shunt. This 25-minute ischemia model simulates operative conditions during liver transplantation and will be valuable in studies modulating IRI.     

Dichloroacetate increases skeletal muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase activity during acute limb ischemia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dichloroacetate sodium (DCA), a drug that inactivates pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDH-K), on pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, lactate level, and function of skeletal muscle in an experimental model of acute limb ischemia. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent right iliac artery ligation to produce hindlimb ischemia. After 2 hours of ischemia, 16 animals received intravenous DCA (15 mg/100 g body weight) and 16 control animals received an equivalent volume of normal saline. After an additional 1 hour of ischemia (total 3 hours) tibialis anterior muscle from the ischemic limb and contralateral nonischemic limb was excised, rapidly freeze-clamped with Wallenberg tongs cooled in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -70 degrees C. Muscles specimens were subsequently assayed for PDH activity and lactate level by use of spectrophotometric techniques. An additional 16 animals (DCA-treated, n = 8; control, n = 8) underwent ex-vivo gastrocnemius muscle fatigue testing with a 10 g tension preload after 3 hours of limb ischemia. In ischemic hind limbs, DCA treatment significantly (p = 0.025) increased PDH activity (19.6 +/-1.6 micromol/min/g dry weight) compared to controls (13.1 +/-1.3 micromol/min/g dry weight). DCA treatment did not increase (p = 0.13) skeletal muscle PDH activity in the nonischemic limbs (9.6 +/-1.1 micromol/min/g dry weight, controls; 13.2 +/-1.3 micromol/min/g dry weight, DCA group). In DCA-treated animals, hind limb ischemia resulted in no significant increase in muscle lactate levels compared to the nonischemic limb, while control animals demonstrated a significant (p = 0.005) elevation in lactate level in ischemic limbs compared to contralateral nonischemic limb. Ischemia induced a significant decrease in time to muscle fatigue in both DCA-treated and control animals (p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). Time to muscle fatigue in DCA-treated animals was increased compared to controls (2.6 +/-0.3 versus 2 +/-0.6 minutes; p < 0.05)in ischemic limbs but was not significantly different in nonischemic limbs (DCA = 3.3 +/-0.5 minutes; control = 3.1 +/-0.6 minutes). Treatment with DCA during acute limb ischemia reduced the depression of PDH activity and lactate level of skeletal muscle. Ischemic muscle function was also improved by DCA treatment. Further investigation of the potential beneficial effects of DCA treatment on muscle injury during ischemia and reperfusion is warranted.