Objective: To study the effect of pretreatment with heat stress on ischemia-reperfusion injuries of the limbs in rats.
Methods: Rat models of ischemia-reperfusion injury were established with or without prior heat stress treatment, in which serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were measured by means of thiobarbituric acid and nitroblue tetrazolium respectively.
Results: Comparison between ischemia-reperfusion group and the control group revealed significantly elevated MDA levels (P<0.01) and depressed SOD activities (P<0.01) in the condition of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Pretreatment with heat stress, however, significantly lowered the elevated MDA levels (P<0.01) and enhanced SOD activities (P<0.01) during ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Conclusion: Pretreatment with heat stress can enhance the activity of SOD to remove free oxygen radicals in the cells.