OBJECTIVE: To assess the preconditioning and postconditioning effect on intestinal mucosal lesions in rats undergone mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion procedure. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were studied and divided into three groups: Group A, 10 rats undergone mesenteric ischemia (30 minutes) and reperfusion (60 minutes); Group B, 10 rats undergone mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion preceded by ischemic preconditioning for three cycles of ischemia and reperfusion for two minutes each; Group C, 10 rats undergone mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion and, preceding the beginning of reperfusion, ischemic postconditioning was performed for three cycles of reperfusion and ischemia for two minutes each. Then, a segment of small intestine was resected for histological analysis. We assessed the results by Chiu et al. score and the statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: According to Chiu et al. score, the means of lesion degree were: In the group A, 3.5; Group B, 1.2; Group C, 1. The difference between group A with the groups B and C was considered statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ischemic pre- and postconditioning were capable of minimizing - in a similar intensity - the tissue injury on the intestinal mucosa of rats undergone mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion process.
Ischemia; Reperfusion injury; Ischemic preconditioning
