Ischemic preconditioning reduces caspase-related intestinal apoptosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the preventive effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced apoptosis and injury in the rat intestine.


METHODS
We divided 30 male Wistar rats, weighing 300-350 g, randomly into three groups. The control group rats (n = 10) were subjected to laparotomy only; the I/R group (n = 10) rats were subjected to occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min, followed by reperfusion for 60 min; and the IPC group (n = 10) rats were subjected to IPC, achieved with two cycles of 5 min ischemia and 5 min reperfusion immediately before the I/R, as in the I/R group. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture, to measure nitrate and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were done to evaluate the I/R-induced apoptosis and injury.


RESULTS
The blood MPO and nitrate levels were increased in the I/R group, but IPC prevented their increase. There were significantly fewer apoptotic cells in the IPC group than in the I/R group, and this finding was supported by the caspase-3 expression in the ileum. The intestinal histopathology was also protected by IPC against I/R-induced injury.


CONCLUSIONS
Ischemic preconditioning clearly prevented I/R-induced injury and apoptosis by a mechanism related to the caspase-3-dependent pathway. We also showed that IPC inhibited leukocyte activation, with the suppression of myeloperoxidase levels in I/R and nitric oxide-related oxidoinflammatory pathway upregulation.
Aban
Nedim
N
Department of Surgery, Mersin SSK Hospital, Mersin, Turkey.
Cinel
Leyla
L
Tamer
Lulufer
L
Aktas
Atil
A
Aban
Meral
M
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D007511:Ischemia / Q000473:pathology*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015415:Biomarkers; D009195:Peroxidase; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases