Beneficial effect of the oxygen free radical scavenger amifostine (WR-2721) on spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits.
BACKGROUND
Paraplegia is the most devastating complication of thoracic or thoraco-abdominal aortic surgery. During these operations, an ischemia-reperfusion process is inevitable and the produced radical oxygen species cause severe oxidative stress for the spinal cord. In this study we examined the influence of Amifostine, a triphosphate free oxygen scavenger, on oxidative stress of spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion in rabbits.


METHODS
Eighteen male, New Zealand white rabbits were anesthetized and spinal cord ischemia was induced by temporary occlusion of the descending thoracic aorta by a coronary artery balloon catheter, advanced through the femoral artery. The animals were randomly divided in 3 groups. Group I functioned as control. In group II the descending aorta was occluded for 30 minutes and then reperfused for 75 min. In group III, 500 mg Amifostine was infused into the distal aorta during the second half-time of ischemia period. At the end of reperfusion all animals were sacrificed and spinal cord specimens were examined for superoxide radicals by an ultra sensitive fluorescent assay.


RESULTS
Superoxide radical levels ranged, in group I between 1.52 and 1.76 (1.64 +/- 0.10), in group II between 1.96 and 2.50 (2.10 +/- 0.23), and in group III (amifostine) between 1.21 and 1.60 (1.40 +/- 0.19) (p = 0.00), showing a decrease of 43% in the Group of Amifostine. A lipid peroxidation marker measurement ranged, in group I between 0.278 and 0.305 (0.296 +/- 0.013), in group II between 0.427 and 0.497 (0.463 +/- 0.025), and in group III (amifostine) between 0.343 and 0.357 (0.350 +/- 0.007) (p < 0.00), showing a decrease of 38% after Amifostine administration.


CONCLUSIONS
By direct and indirect methods of measuring the oxidative stress of spinal cord after ischemia/reperfusion, it is suggested that intra-aortic Amifostine infusion during spinal cord ischemia phase, significantly attenuated the spinal cord oxidative injury in rabbits.
Chronidou
Fany
F
Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece. fanvaste@yahoo.gr
Apostolakis
Efstratios
E
Papapostolou
Ioannis
I
Grintzalis
Konstantinos
K
Georgiou
Christos D
CD
Koletsis
Efstratios N
EN
Karanikolas
Menelaos
M
Papathanasopoulos
Panagiotis
P
Dougenis
Dimitrios
D
D004999:Amifostine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D013481:Superoxides; D004999:Amifostine