EFFECTS OF HYDROXYETHYL-STARCH-BOUND DEFEROXAMINE ON ISCHEMIA REPERFUSION INJURY IN CHRONIC NERVE COMPRESSION/

The authors have demonstrated previously that pretreatment with defero xamine, an iron chelator and antioxidant, at the time of release in ac ute nerve compression, provided protection against ischemia/reperfusio n (I/R) injury. In the present study, they evaluated whether therapeut ic intervention with hydroxyethyl-starch-bound deferoxamine (HES-DFO) at the time of release of the chronically-compressed peripheral nerve protects the nerve from I/R injury. The sciatic nerves of 43 male Spra gue-Dawley rats, weighing 325 to 350 g, were subjected to 8 weeks of c ompression with Silastic tubing. The treatment group received intraven ous HES-DFO (70 mg/kg) at the time of decompression, while the control group received an equal volume of intravenous hetastarch vehicle at t he same time schedule and route. Nerve-tissue samples from the compres sion site, as well as contralateral noncompressed nerves, were assayed for malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of I/R injury. The control group exhibited MDA levels up to five times normal, and did not return to no rmal for 21 days. in contrast, the HES-DFO group had MDA levels that w ere not statistically significantly different from normal levels. The results confirm that pretreatment with HES-DFO prior to the surgical d ecompression of chronically-compressed nerve provides marked protectio n against I/R injury.