title: Improvement of the microcirculation in the acute ischemic rat limb during intravenous infusion of drag-reducing polymers.
abstract: Drag-reducing polymers (DRPs) are blood-soluble macromolecules that can increase blood flow and reduce vascular resistance. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of DRPs on microcirculation in rat hind limb during acute femoral artery occlusion. Two groups of 20 male Wistar rats were subjected to either hemodynamic measurement or contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEU) imaging during peripheral ischemia. Both groups were further subdivided into a DRP-treated group or a saline-treated group. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) was chosen as the test DRP, and rats were injected with either 10 ppm PEO solution or saline through the caudal vein at a constant rate of 5 ml/h for 20 min. Abdominal aortic flow, iliac artery pressure, iliac vein pressure, heart rate, carotid artery pressure and central venous pressure (CVP) were monitored, and vascular resistance was calculated by (iliac artery pressure-iliac vein pressure)/abdominal aortic blood flow. Flow perfusion and capillary volume of skeletal muscle were measured by CEU. During PEO infusion, abdominal aortic blood flow increased (p<0.001) and vascular resistance decreased (p<0.001) compared to rats that received saline during peripheral ischemia. There was no significant change in ischemic skeletal capillary volume (A) with DRP treatment (p>0.05), but red blood cell velocity (β) and capillary blood flow (A×β) increased significantly (p<0.05) during PEO infusion. In addition, A, β and A×β all increased (p<0.05) in the contralateral hind limb muscle. In contrast, PEO had no significant influence on heart rate, mean carotid artery blood pressure or CVP. Intravenous infusion of drag reducing polymers may offer a novel hydrodynamic approach for improving microcirculation during acute peripheral ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Daogang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zha
authors.forename: Rongsheng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xianghui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bingjie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jiancheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiu
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bin
authors.forename: Yili
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005121:Extremities / Q000098:blood supply*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007511:Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D011092:Polyethylene Glycols