Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Reduces Cerebral Oxidative Stress Following Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest in a Porcine Model

Abstract

Remote ischemic precondition has become prominent as one of the most promising methods to mitigate neurological damage following ischemic insult. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effects of remote ischemic preconditioning can be seen in the markers of oxidative stress or in redox-regulating enzymes in a porcine model. A total of 12 female piglets were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The study group underwent an intervention of 4 cycles of 5-minute ischemic preconditioning on the right hind leg. All piglets underwent 60-minute hypothermic circulatory arrest. Oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was measured from blood samples with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After 7 days of follow-up, samples from the brain, heart, kidney, and ovary were harvested for histopathologic examination. The immunohistochemical stainings of hypoxia marker hypoxia-inducible factor-1-α, oxidative stress marker 8-OHdG, DNA repair enzyme 8-oxoguanine glycosylase, and antioxidant response regulators nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and protein deglycase were analyzed. The level of 8-OHdG referred to baseline was decreased in the sagittal sinus׳ blood samples in the study group after a prolonged deep hypothermic circulatory arrest at 360 minutes after reperfusion. Total histopathologic score was 3.8 (1.8-6.0) in the study group and was 4.4 (2.5-6.5) in the control group (P = 0.72), demonstrating no statistically significant difference in cerebral injury. Our findings demonstrate that the positive effects of remote ischemic preconditioning can be seen in cellular oxidative balance regulators in an animal model after 7 days of preconditioned ischemic insult.