Pretreatment with glycine reduces the severity of warm intestinal ischemic-reperfusion injury in the rat

Free jejunal flaps may experience adverse effects immediately after revascu larization because of ischemic-reperfusion injury. In this study the author s evaluated the ability of glycine to protect the small intestine against t he effects of a warm ischemic-reperfusion injury. Male Wistar rats (N = 30) were randomized to either a baseline group (no intervention), a control gr oup (local arterial infusion with normal saline), or a glycine group (local arterial infusion with 20% glycine), Pretreatment with 20% glycine increas ed significantly (p < 0.05) mucosal protein and deoxyribonucleic acid conte nt, reduced intestinal myeloperoxidase activity, and maintained mucosal glu taminase activity. These results indicate that some of the indicators of is chemic-reperfusion injury are improved by pretreatment with a 20% glycine s olution.