Abstract
This project was designed to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Inferiorly based rectus abdominis muscle flaps were elevated in pigs and subjected to 6 hours of ischemia followed by 4 hours of reperfusion. Group I animals received a bolus of L-arginine before reperfusion, and a continuous infusion once flow was restored. Group II animals served as controls and received an equal volume of saline as a bolus and subsequent continuous infusion. Microdialysis was used to measure tissue NO levels, and these were correlated with muscle survival determined by vital staining with nitroblue tetrazolium. The results demonstrated a significant increase in tissue NO levels in L-arginine-supplemented animals (p < 0.05), which in turn correlated with a significant increase in muscle survival (p = 0.0051). These results suggest that administration of supplemental L-arginine to ischemic skeletal muscle during reperfusion results in increased NO production and decreased tissue damage.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 269-274 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Annals of Plastic Surgery |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery