Comparative analysis of adenosine triphosphate-magnesium chloride and allopurinol following small-bowel ischemia

Abstract

The intestinal lesions caused by ischemia and reperfusion may lead to grave sequelae. To study the efficacy of adenosine triphosphate magnesium chloride (ATP-MgCl₂) and allopurinol (ALLO) in protecting the small bowel from ischemia, rabbits in two groups, 1 (n = 7) and 2 (n = 7), were pretreated with either 1 ml saline or ATP-MgCl₂ just prior to intestinal ischemia and reperfusion. Group 3 (n = 7) animals recieved enteral ALLO daily for 3 days before the experiment. Using Oldham and Thompson's grading system, histologic specimens were evaluated blindly for evidence of ischemic-reperfusion injury. The histologic injury scores in group 2 were significantly lower than those in groups 1 and 3 (P <0.05 and 0.02, respectively) after 2 h of ischemia. Following 30 min of reperfusion, histologic injury scores rose significantly in group 1 (P <0.05), decreased in group 2 (P <0.005), and showed no significant changes in group 3 (P >0.50). We conclude that: (1) pretreatment with ALLO can prevent reperfusion injury of the small intestine; and (2) ATP-MgCl₂ administration can reduce 2-h ischemic intestinal damage, reverse reperfusion-induced cellular injury, and improve the recovery of ischemic bowel during the reperfusion phase.