Effects of lumbar epidural anesthesia on cell apoptosis in rat kidneys with ischemia-reperfusion injury

Abstract

Objective To investigate the influence of lumbar epidural anesthesia on cell apoptosis in rat kidneys with ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into three groups at random, including a sham-operated group, a model group, and an anesthesia group. Then the local norepinephrine, local angiotensin Ⅱ, plasma superoxide dismutase, plasma malondialdehyde and cell apoptosis index were observed at the 24 h after the reperfusion in rat kidneys of ischemia 60 min. Results Compared to the sham-operated group, ischemia-reperfusion of kidney caused a significant increase in contents of local norepinephrine, local angiotensin Ⅱ, and malondialdehyde in the model group and anesthesia group as well as increasing in the cell apoptosis index (P<0.05), and those parameters above were lower in the anesthesia group than those in the model group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the activities of plasma superoxide were higher than those in model group (P<0.05). Conclusions The lumbar epidural anesthesia can reduce the excessive accumulation of neuroendocrine hormone in kidney, alleviate oxidative stress, which plays an important role in restraining the ischemia-reperfusion injury and cell apoptosis. Key words: Anesthesia, epidural; Reperfusion injury; Kidney/CY/PA; Apoptosis