Iloprost reduces colonic injury in ischemic colitis in rats

Purpose: Evaluate the effects of iloprost administration in the early period of ischemic colitis and the mechanism that how these effects develop. Methods: Thirty two Wistar albino female rats with an average weight of 220g were divided into four groups of eight rats. In group 1 the rats were given iloprost and sacrificed after 24 hours and in group 2 they were sacrificed after 24 hours without any iloprost. The rats in group 3 were administrated iloprost and sacrificed after 72 hours and in group 4 they were sacrificed at 72(th) hour without iloprost. The differences between the groups as tissue damage, vascularization or apoptosis were assessed statistically. Results: Oxidative damage and apoptosis were less pronounced and vascularization was better developed in rats that were given iloprost and sacrificed at 24(th) hour later in contrast to the rats that were not treated with iloprost. But there was no statistical difference among the groups at 72(th) hour. Conclusion: Iloprost inhibited leucocyte infiltration, decreased proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced angiogenesis so that the oxidative stress and inflammatory response decreased resulting in lesser tissue damage.