Effect of free-radical scavengers and hyperbaric oxygen on random-pattern skin flaps.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether treatment with the combination of hyperbaric oxygen and free-radical scavengers or inhibitors would result in increased skin-flap survival.


METHODS
An animal model with male Sprague-Dawley rats was used. The flap was a cranial-based dorsal 3 x 12-cm random-pattern skin flap that included the panniculus carnosus. Rats were randomly assigned to one of 10 treatment groups.


METHODS
The radical scavengers superoxide dismutase, catalase, and alpha-tocopherol acetate and the inhibitor allopurinol were used to combat or scavenge radicals. Oxygen (100%) treatments were for 90 minutes at 2.5 atm absolute daily.


METHODS
At 7 days, the flaps were examined for survival by fluorescein injection. Lipid peroxidation as a measure of tissue damage was measured by thiobarbituric acid-malondialdehyde analysis.


RESULTS
The combination of treatments resulted in significantly increased flap survival compared with untreated controls (P < .05) except in the group treated with allopurinol and hyperbaric oxygen. Lipid peroxidation was inhibited by the superoxide dismutase plus catalase and the alpha-tocopherol treatments but not by treatment with allopurinol.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate doses of radical scavengers or antioxidants coupled with a conservative hyperoxic exposure regimen can result in the increased survival of random-pattern skin flaps.
Stewart
R J
RJ
University of California-San Francisco Valley Medical Education Program.
Moore
T
T
Bennett
B
B
Easton
M
M
Newton
G W
GW
Yamaguchi
K T
KT
D000493:Allopurinol / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000494:pharmacology; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000494:pharmacology; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014022:Tissue Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D024505:Tocopherols; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D014810:Vitamin E; D000493:Allopurinol; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol; D024505:Tocopherols