ABSTRACT

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on lung tissue in rat’s lower extremity after undergoing an ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury.

After obtaining ethical committee approval, 24 Wistar albino rats (200-270 gr) were randomly divided into four groups: (Control (Group C), diabetes-control (Group DC), diabetes I/R (Group DIR), and diabetes-I/R-dexmedetomidine (Group DIRD). In diabetes groups, single-dose (55 mg/kg) streptozotocin was administered intraperitoneally. Rats with a blood glucose level above 250 mg/dl at the 72nd hour were accepted as diabetic. At the end of four weeks, laparotomy was performed in all rats. Nothing else was done in Group C and DC. In Group DIR, ischemia reperfusion was produced via two-hour periods of clamping and subsequent declamping of infra-renal abdominal aorta. In Group DIRD, 100 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine were administered intraperitoneally.

When the groups’ lung tissue neutrophil infiltration/aggregation light microscopic findings were compared to each other, a significant difference was observed among the groups (p=0.003). When the groups’ lung tissue injury score light microscopic findings were compared, a significant difference was observed among the groups (p=0.001). When groups were compared to each other in terms of lung tissue MDA levels and SOD activities, a significant difference was observed (p=0.002, p=0.018, respectively).

Our results confirm that dexmedetomidine has protective effects against the lung damage resulting from IR in diabetic rats. However, future studies should be conducted to evaluate these effects.