Prevention of laryngotracheal stenosis with carnitine after tracheotomy: an experimental study on rats.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the effect of carnitine on wound healing of trachea in tracheotomyzed rats. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that treatment with carnitine would protect the wound tissue, which was evaluated by measuring nitrite and nitrate, thus nitric oxide, malondialdehyde and cholinesterase in blood, and examining the histopathological changes.


METHODS
Standard vertical tracheotomy was performed on 24 Wistar-Albino type rats. Then the animals were randomly divided into two groups; group A (the study group) was administered intraperitoneal carnitine 100 mg/kg for 10 days; group B (the control group) was administered intraperitoneal saline for 10 days. On the 10th day, all animals were decanulated. Three weeks later, cardiac blood samples were taken for biochemical assays and trachea specimens were harvested for histopathologic examination.


RESULTS
In the carnitine-administered group, granulation tissue thickness resulting from the wound healing in the level of tracheotomy incision was lower compared to the control group (P < 0.01). When serum malondialdehyde levels were considered, a lower malondialdehyde level was found in the carnitine-administered group (P < 0.01). However, serum nitric oxide levels were close to each other in both groups (P > 0.05), while serum cholinesterase level was higher in the carnitine-administered group than in the control group (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Carnitine treatment partially prevents and significantly reduces the severity of tracheotomy induced laryngotracheal stenosis.
Pata
Yavuz Selim
YS
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Faculty of Medicine, The University of Mersin, Mersin, Turkey. yavuzpata@hotmail.com
Akbaş
Yücel
Y
Unal
Murat
M
Aydin
Ozlem
O
Görür
Kemal
K
Ozcan
Cengiz
C
Polat
Gürbüz
G
D000818:Animals; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007829:Laryngostenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014132:Trachea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D014140:Tracheotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002331:Carnitine