The aim of this study was to assess the preventive effects of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the sciatic nerve of the rat hind limb. This study included two experiments. For Experiment 1, 40 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups that received different IPC treatments prior to IR. Serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assessed following reperfusion. Furthermore, we tested the electrophysiological response and ultrastructural changes in the ipsilateral sciatic nerve after IR. After determining the best IPC protocol for protection, we performed a second experiment with 30 SD rats randomly divided into 3 equal groups. Each group underwent 1, 2, or 3 IPC cycles before prolonged ischemia and reperfusion. The same analyses as in Experiment 1 were performed. In Experiment 1, the AST, LDH, and MDA concentrations were decreased in all IPC groups compared with the control group. Concentration of these enzymes showed decreases with increasing IPC cycle number in Experiment 2; however, the difference between 2 and 3 cycles of IPC did not reach significance. Conversely, SOD activity increased in the rapid and delayed groups, and with increasing cycles of IPC. The electrophysiological test showed a decrease in amplitude and increase in conduction velocity with increasing IPC cycles. Moreover, ultrastructural damage decreased with increasing IPC cycles. IPC protected against IR injury in the peripheral nerves. This effect was positively correlated with the number of IPC cycles.
Keywords: Ischemic preconditioning; ischemia-reperfusion; rat; sciatic nerve.