Postconditioning in a rat model of gut ischemia-reperfusion

Introduction

Ischemic postconditioning has been shown to protect several organs (heart, brain, liver) from prolonged ischemia-reperfusion-induced damages. However, an eventual protecting effect of postconditioning after gut ischemia-reperfusion remains to be demonstrated. In this study, we evaluated an ischemic postconditioning protocol on a rat model of gut ischemia reperfusion.

Methods

Wistar male rats (300 g) were randomized in three groups of eight rats: control (C), gut ischemia-reperfusion (IR) and gut IR plus postconditioning (IR-postC) groups. A laparotomy was performed under ketamine anesthesia for all rats. Then, the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was occluded during 60 minutes and then reperfused during 60 minutes in both the IR and IR-postC groups. Postconditioning consisted of a succession of three ischemia (30 seconds) and reperfusion (120 seconds) periods. At the end of reperfusion, mesenteric and systemic bloods were sampled for lactate measurement. Lactate levels were compared using a Student test.

Results

All animals survived the duration of study. Gut IR provided a significant increase in mesenteric lactate (LacM), 3.9 versus 1.34 mmol/l (P < 0.0001), and in systemic lactate (LacS), 4.2 versus 0.9 mmol/l (P = 0.007). There was no significant difference in terms of lactate between the IR and IR-postC groups: LacM: 3.4 mmol/l (P = 0.35); LacS: 3.4 mmol/l (P = 0.66). See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Conclusion

This protocol of postconditioning was not efficient in terms of hyperlactatemia reduction in our rat model of gut IR. Further studies will be needed to determine whether postconditioning might be a therapeutic alternative in cases of gut ischemia-reperfusion.