SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE (SOD) AND NEUTROPHIL INFILTRATION IN INTESTINAL ISCHEMIA-REVASCULARIZATION

SOD is the main detoxifying enzyme of OFRs which have been mainly purp orted to participate in ischaemia revascularization lesions. A study w as made of the behaviour of SOD during ischaemia and the response to p harmacological doses of SOD in Wistar rats in which ischaemia was indu ced by 90 min of clamping and followed by revascularization. SOD level s were determined in the intestinal wall, evaluating the degree of inf iltration of neutrophils, leucocytes and monocytes by immunohistochemi cal methods. Ischaemia led to a significant decrease in intestinal wal l SOD levels (p = 0.003). The administration of pharmacological doses of SOD was observed to improve survival of the animals (p = 0.001) and significantly decreased the infiltration of leucocytes only during re vascularization measured by MPO and LCA. Beneficial effects of SOD cou ld be explained by its effect as scavenger of OFRs and by its action o n the neutrophil infiltration.