title: Ischemic preconditioning reduces caspase-related intestinal apoptosis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Mersin SSK Hospital, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nedim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aban
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cinel
authors.forename: Lulufer
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tamer
authors.forename: Atil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aktas
authors.forename: Meral
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aban
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D009195:Peroxidase; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases