title: Oral administration of L-arginine decreases necrosis of the epigastric skin flap in the rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the effect of prolonged oral arginine administration on tissue necrosis and perfusion in the rat skin flap.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley rats had an 8 x 8 - cm epigastric skin flap elevated and were divided in 2 groups, l-Arginine and Control, which respectively received oral 6% l-arginine solution or water for 8 days postoperatively. On postoperative day 8, area of flap necrosis was measured, and the animals were perfused systemically with 15-microm colored fluorescent microspheres before (blue) and after (yellow-green) ligation of the flap pedicle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  l-Arginine reduced total flap necrosis (6.53 +/- 3.76 cm versus 11.91 +/- 4.12 cm; P < 0.01). After pedicle ligation, total flap perfusion remained unchanged in Control but diminished in the l-Arginine group (Control: 0.47 +/- 0.23 and 0.42 +/- 0.06; P = nonsignificant versus l-Arginine: 0.58 +/- 0.29 and 0.27 +/- 0.19; P < 0.01). Serum levels of l-arginine were higher in the l-arginine-treated animals (504 +/- 154 versus 152 +/- 34 micromol/l; P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postoperative oral administration of l-arginine decreased flap necrosis in the rat epigastric skin flap. Flap perfusion following oral l-arginine was more dependent on the main vascular pedicle.
authors.affiliation: Buncke Clinic, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Komorowska-Timek
authors.forename: Tomasz A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Timek
authors.forename: Lucy S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Brevetti
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szuba
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stuehlinger
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hardesty
authors.forename: Harry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Buncke
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D001120:Arginine