title: Protective effect of antithrombin III against lung and myocardial injury in lower-limb ischemia-reperfusion syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Restoration of blood flow to an acutely ischemic limb can trigger systemic inflammation. We investigated whether antithrombin III (AT-III) exerts a protective action against remote lung and myocardial injury in an experimental animal model of lower-limb ischemia-reperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ischemia was induced by lower-limb arterial occlusion for 6 hours in 60 male Wistar rats. Animals were divided into those receiving AT-III (dose, 250 mg/kg) 30 minutes before the reperfusion (group A, n = 30) and those receiving placebo (group B, n = 30). Animals were then sacrificed, and lung and myocardial tissue samples were taken at baseline, 30 minutes, and 4 hours after reperfusion. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a compound used as indirect index of oxygen free radicals, were estimated in lung and myocardium, and the two groups were compared at different time points using the independent sample t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Animals administered AT-III had significantly lower levels of lung MDA compared with the placebo group at baseline and at 30 minutes, but not at 4 hours (P = 0.001, P = 0.01, and P = 0.9, respectively), indicating a protective action of AT-III against remote lung injury early in the reperfusion phase. With regard to myocardial MDA levels, no statistically significant differences existed between the AT-III and placebo groups at baseline, at 30 minutes, and at 4 hours (P = 0.07, P = 0.07, and P = 0.2, respectively) after reperfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this experimental animal model, AT-III appears to exert a protective effect against remote ischemia-reperfusion injury in the lung tissue, but not in the myocardium.
authors.affiliation: 5th Department of Surgery, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippocratio Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Neophytos A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Zambas
authors.forename: Christos D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Karkos
authors.forename: Apostolos G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kambaroudis
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Karamanos
authors.forename: Charalampos T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Spyridis
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Gerassimidis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000991:Antithrombins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000098:blood supply*; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000991:Antithrombins; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D000990:Antithrombin III