LIMITATION OF INTESTINAL REPERFUSION INJURY IN THE RAT BY VITAMIN TREATMENT

The objective of the study was to evaluate the antioxidative effect of the multivitamin cocktail Omnibionta containing alpha-tocopherol, asc orbic acid, retinol and the vitamin B-complex, in an ischaemic-reperfu sion model in the rat small bowel to reduce reperfusion injury. Animal s were subjected to total superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion f or 40 min followed by reperfusion for 60 min. 67 Sprague Dawley rats w ere divided into the following groups : sham (n = 7), ischaemia (n = 1 2), reperfusion + saline (n = 12) reperfusion + omnibionta (n = 12), r eperfusion + B-complex (n = 12), reperfusion + solvent (n = 12). The l ength of the variable damaged gut segments in % of total bowel length was calculated and termed the longitudinal damage (LD). Mucosal damage (MD) was assessed histologically using a 0 to 4 scoring scale similar to Chiu's method. Lipid peroxidation products were assayed by malondi aldehyde-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (MDA-TBARS). Reperfus ion led to a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the length of the most severe damaged segment-seg 2-in the reperfused saline, solvent and B- complex group as compared to the ischaemic group (61.3 +/- 30.9%; 68.9 +/- 25.3%; 59.9 +/- 39.2%; vs. 6.3 +/- 8.4%). No difference existed b etween the reperfused Omnibionta (18.2 +/- 20.8%) and the ischaemic gr oup (6.3 +/- 8.4%). Mucosal damage was significantly (p < 0.05) less s evere in the reperfused Omnibionta group (3.3 +/- 3.8) than in all the other reperfused groups (normal saline 10.7 +/- 1.9; solvent 8.3 +/- 3.1; B-complex 7.2 +/- 4.8) and did not differ from the ischaemic grou p (4.6 +/- 5.9). A positive correlation (r = 0.361, p < 0.01) of MDA-T BARS existed with the histologically most severe damaged segment-seg 2 -as a measure of free radical involvement 60 min after reperfusion ons et. These results suggest that the multivitamin treatment may limit re perfusion damage in the rat intestine.