The effect of alprostadil on ischemia-reperfusion injury of peripheral nerve in rats

Objective: To determine the effect of alprostadil on the ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of the sciatic nerve in rats. Materials and methods: Pre-reperfusion administration of alprostadil (0.05 mug kg(-1)) was assessed in the I/R injury model of the rat sciatic nerve. In this model, blood samples were investigated for the I/R injury markers namely malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of lipid peroxidation, and nitrite/nitrate levels, products of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism. Results: A significant decrease in MDA, and increase in NO levels were observed in the groups which received alprostadil before reperfusion, when compared to their corresponding untreated controls (I/R only) at all time intervals (P = 0.0001). There was a statistically significant difference in both MDA, and NO levels between certain time intervals. There was no statistical linear correlation between MDA and NO levels. Conclusion: Alprostadil may be suggested as a protective anti-inflammatory and a vasodilator pharmacological agent for I/R injury in peripheral nerves. Also, measurements of NO and MDA may be complementary to the generally accepted evaluation parameters of I/R injury including electromyography and nerve histopathology. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.