Study of Heparin in Intestinal Ischemia and Reperfusion in Rats: Morphologic and Functional Evaluation

To study whether treatment with heparin (HEP) attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rats were treated with HEP (100 U/kg intravenously) or saline solution (SS) before I (60 min), which was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, and R (120 min). After I or I/R, we mounted 2-cm jejunal segment in an organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl, using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy. Compared with the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in the I + HEP and the I/R + HEP groups, but reduced in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups. the jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in the I + SS and the I/R + SS, but not in the I + HEP and the I/R + HEP cohorts. These results suggested that HEP attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by I and I/R.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Surg, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pharmacol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Morphol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ Great Dourados, Sch Med, Dourados, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Surg, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pharmacol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Morphol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Protective Effects of Heparin on Hepatic Ischemia and Reperfusion Lesions in Rabbits

Because the role of heparin (HEP) in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is still not fully understood, we investigated the effects of treatment with HEP on hepatic I/R injury in rabbits. for I/R procedures, the portal vein and hepatic artery were occluded by a metallic clamp to promote ischemia. the clamp was removed after 30 minutes to allow reperfusion. Rabbits undergoing the I/R procedure were treated with HEP (100 U/kg) or saline solution 0.9% (SS). When compared with levels before I/R, the serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase, levels were increased by the hepatic I/R procedure, among rabbits treated with SS or HER However, the increase in these enzymes was lower among rabbits treated with HEP. Histologic analysis of hepatic tissue of rabbits undergoing I/R and treated with SS showed marked lesions in the central lobule with significant inflammatory infiltration. in contrast, a significant reduction in lesions caused by I/R was observed in the livers of rabbits treated with HER After starting reperfusion, we visualized apoptotic cells with nuclear staining among rabbits submitted to I/R and treated with SS, but not those treated with HER These results suggested that HEP was able to attenuate hepatic lesions caused by I/R in the livers of rabbits.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Surg, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Morphol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biochem, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pharmacol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ Grande Dourados, Dept Med, Grande Dourados, MS, BrazilUniv Mogi Cruzws, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Surg, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Morphol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biochem, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pharmacol, BR-04023900 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc