Pretreatment with adenosine and adenosine A1 receptor agonist protects against intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat

AIM: To examine the effects of adenosine and A1 receptor activation on reperfusion-induced small intestinal injury. METHODS: Rats were randomized into groups with sham operation, ischemia and reperfusion, and systemic treatments with either adenosine or 2-chloro-N-6-cyclo- pentyladenosine, A1 receptor agonist or 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, A1 receptor antagonist, plus adenosine before ischemia. Following reperfusion, contractions of ileum segments in response to KCl, carbachol and substance P were recorded. Tissue myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, and reduced glutathione levels were measured. RESULTS: Ischemia significantly decreased both contraction and reduced glutathione level which were ameliorated by adenosine and agonist administration. Treatment also decreased neutrophil infiltration and membrane lipid peroxidation. Beneficial effects of adenosine were abolished by pretreatment with A1 receptor antagonist. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that adenosine and A1 receptor stimulation attenuate ischemic intestinal injury via decreasing oxidative stress, lowering neutrophil infiltration, and increasing reduced glutathione content. (c) 2007 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.