Ischaemic preconditioning protects the rat kidney from reperfusion injury

Authors:
  • MMMc Morris
    Mc Morris
  • GRGrace
    Grace
  • RMR T Mathie
    R T Mathie
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Abstract
Objective: To examine the possible role of ischaemic preconditioning (IPC), an adaptive pathophysiological phenomenon that increases tolerance to ischaemia‐reperfusion (I‐R) injury, in renal protection when rats are presented with an I‐R challenge. Materials and methods: Female Wistar rats ( n =36) were divided randomly into four groups: (A) sham‐operated controls; (B) IPC only; (C) renal ischaemia (RI) only; and (D) IPC+RI. The left kidney in groups B and D was preconditioned with four cycles of renal artery occlusion lasting 4 min, each occlusion separated by 11 min of reperfusion. The ischaemic insult, applied in groups C and D, comprised 40 min of sustained left renal artery occlusion. In Group D, the IPC cycle was completed 5 min before the start of the ischaemic insult. Differential left renal function was calculated by 99m Tc‐labelled dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy at 0, 2 and 9 days after treatment, and expressed as a percentage of the total renal uptake. Results: The mean (sem) maximum decrease in left renal function, to 14.5 (4.3)% of the total, occurred on day 2 in Group C. The equivalent value in Group D showed relative preservation of function, at 36.0 (3.5)% ( P =0.001 compared with Group C). The mean left renal function improved by day 9, to 39.6 (6.7)% (Group C) and 48.6 (1.5)% (Group D). The mean left renal function in Group B (50.5–53.9%) did not differ from that in controls (49.4–51.4%). Conclusion: An IPC regimen applied 5 min before RI in the rat significantly protects it from the functional impairment associated with ischaemia and reperfusion.

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