title: Hydroxyzine, cimetidine and vitamin C in reducing skin flap necrosis in ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. A comparative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the current experimental research was to investigate whether hydroxyzine can reduce the necrotic area in ischemia-reperfusion injury in epigastric rat skin flaps and to compare its role with cimetidine and vitamin C.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a total of 77 ischemic rat skin flaps, 18 were treated with normal saline, 18 with vitamin C, 18 with cimetidine and 18 with hydroxyzine before reperfusion. Flap necrotic area, neutrophils and mast cells were measured on the 7th day. Analysis of variance for multiple comparisons and post hoc Dunnett's test were used for statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sham group of animals (n=5) showed 0% flap necrosis. The saline-treated group demonstrated 75±15.3% of necrosis. The vitamin C, cimetidine and hydroxyzine groups had 56.2 ± 24.4%, 25.8 ± 19.3%, and 33.6 ± 27.8% of flap necrosis, respectively. In addition, the number of neutrophils and mast cells were decreased in the pharmacologically treated groups compared with flaps perfused with normal saline (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that administering hydroxyzine in rat epigastric skin flaps before reperfusion may attenuate necrosis, neutrophils and mast cell counts. The beneficial effect of cimetidine was the same as hydroxyzine's but the use of vitamin C was less effective.
authors: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Greek Anticancer Institute, St. Savvas Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Sp
authors: S
authors: Georgopoulos
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Mastorakos
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kondi-Pafiti
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Katsenis
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Arkadopoulos
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Kannas
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Archontaki
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Vestarchis
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Kokkalis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006919:Hydroxyzine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D014815:Vitamins; D006919:Hydroxyzine; D002927:Cimetidine; D001205:Ascorbic Acid