The aim of this study was to compare the ischemic and postischemic energetic changes of rat skeletal muscle in response to hypothermia or room temperature, monitored noninvasively and continuously by in vivo (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P-MRS). A model of pedicled rat rectus femoris muscle was developed and analyzed by in vivo (31)P-MRS at a magnetic field strength of 2.35 T. Measurements were performed at three time points: before ischemia, after 4 hours of ischemia, and after 1 hour of reperfusion. Three groups were studied: (1) sham-operated rats (n = 6); (2) rats subjected to room temperature (24-26 degrees C, n = 6); and (3) rats subjected to hypothermia (9-12 degrees C, n = 6). Blood perfusion was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). In the hypothermic group, phosphocreatine (PCr) recovered to 75% and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to 86%; in the room temperature group, the recovery was 53% and 51%, respectively (P < 0.05). Skeletal muscle subjected to hypothermia (9-12 degrees C) was found to recover to a higher postischemic energetic level compared with skeletal muscle subjected to room temperature. Hypothermia appears to be a simple and effective method with which to reduce the damage related to ischemia and reperfusion.
Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.