OXYGEN FREE-RADICAL SCAVENGERS AND REPERFUSION INJURY IN DOG LUNG PRESERVED IN COLD ISCHEMIA

Oxygen-derived free radicals are now considered important contributors to tissue injury associated with ischemia and reperfusion. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of oxygen free radical scavengers on reperfusion injury. The left lower lobes of 15 canine lungs were isolated, preserved, and then reperfused for 120 minutes. Three groups of lobes were studied: Group 1 (n = 5), without ischemia, group 2 (n = 5) four hours of cold ischemia in Euro-Collins solution, group 3 (n = 5) four hours cold ischemia + oxygen free radical scavenger glutathione (0.1 nmol/L) given at the moment of perfusion. Extravascular lung water (grams per gram of blood-free dry lobe weight) after reperfusion was 2.82 +/- 0.32, 5.06 +/- 0.45, 4.21 +/- 0.33 for groups 1 through 3 respectively (p < 0.001 group 1 versus group 2, p < 0.001 group 2 versus group 3). Lung tissue lipid peroxidation, measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive material was 125 +/- 11, 270 +/- 30, and 185 +/- 17 nmol/g dry lobe weight for groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively (p < 0.05 group 2 versus 1 and group 3 versus group 2). The data suggest that oxygen free radical scavengers attenuate reperfusion injury.