Effects of L-carnitine on neutrophil-mediated ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat stomach.

Narin Derin, Arzu Agac, Zubeyde Bayram, Mevlut Asar, V Nimet Izgut-Uysal

Akdeniz University, Medicine Faculty, Department of Physiology, Antalya, Turkey. narinderin@akdeniz.edu.tr

Cell biochemistry and function 2006 Sep-Oct

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Reactive oxygen metabolites play an important role in ischemia-reperfusion related gastric injury. Primary sources of reactive oxygen metabolites seem to be the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system and neutrophils accumulating within the reperfused tissue. Tissue myeloperoxidase activity is an important index of neutrophil accumulation. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of L-carnitine on the accumulation of neutrophils and neutrophil-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats exposed to ischemia-reperfusion. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operated, ischemia-reperfusion and ischemia-reperfusion plus L-carnitine groups. Ischemia was induced by clamping the celiac artery for 30 min and then reperfusion was established for 60 min. Gastric injury was assessed by measuring myeloperoxidase activity in gastric tissue. The neutrophil accumulation and hemorrhagic lesions due to ischemia-reperfusion in gastric mucosa were ascertained in a histological study. L-Carnitine (100 mg kg(-1)) administrated intravenously 5 min before ischemia significantly reduced both the gastric injury and myeloperoxidase activity compared with the ischemia-reperfusion group. The results suggest that L-carnitine provides marked protection against ischemia-reperfusion-related gastric injury which could be due to its ability to reduce neutrophil accumulation in ischemic tissue.

Citation

Narin Derin, Arzu Agac, Zubeyde Bayram, Mevlut Asar, V Nimet Izgut-Uysal. Effects of L-carnitine on neutrophil-mediated ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat stomach. Cell biochemistry and function. 2006 Sep-Oct;24(5):437-42