Use of glycyrrhizin in prevention of tissue damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion in rabbit hind limbs.

摘要

BACKGROUND: Glycyrrhizin, an agent that can bind to selectins and inhibit their ability to bind neutrophils, was found to be effective in preventing tissue edema caused by ischemia-reperfusion in a rabbit model. METHODS: Complete ischemia was produced by applying a tight Esmarch tourniquet to the hind limbs of 24 Japanese white rabbits. Immediately before and 1 h after release of the tourniquet, 12 animals were given glycyrrhizin intravenously; 12 controls received saline. RESULTS: The mean relative increase in the circumference of the shins before and after ischemia-reperfusion with or without glycyrrhizin treatment was 4.6% +/- 2.4% and 9.6% +/- 4.2%, respectively, indicating that tissue edema caused by the ischemia-reperfusion was significantly attenuated by glycyrrhizin. Histological studies of cross sections of the anterior tibial muscle 24 h after reperfusion showed a significant reduction in the incidence of necrotic muscle fibers in the glycyrrhizin-treated animals compared with the controls that did not receive glycyrrhizin. The mRNA levels of P- and E-selectin 24 h after reperfusion were significantly higher in the ischemic anterior tibial muscle than in the nonischemic normal muscle. After 24 h of reperfusion, the mean activity of myeloperoxidase, a neutrophil-specific enzyme, in the anterior tibial muscles of the group given glycyrrhizin (0.0022 +/- 0.0013 absorbance units) was lower than that of the untreated group (0.027 +/- 0.026 absorbance units). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that glycyrrhizin treatment is effective in suppressing the acute inflammatory reaction or edema following ischemia-reperfusion and might be potentially useful in clinical practice for preventing ischemia-reperfusion injuries to the extremities.