Multivitamin administration before ischemia reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbit skeletal muscle

This study investigated the effect of a multivitamin preparation administered before ischemia or before reperfusion, on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of skeletal muscle. An in vivo hindlimb skeletal muscle I/R model (2.5 h/2 h) was carried out on adult New Zealand white rabbits. Animals used as I/R models were treated with a multivitamin preparation (0.4 ml/kg bw i.v. bolus), containing alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, retinol, vitamin B complex, 30 min before starting ischemia (group MVisc) or 5 min before reperfusion (group MVrep) and compared to animals with I/R without treatment (group IR) and sham operated animals (group SHAM). Interstitial edema (muscle interfiber area, %MIFA) and changes in microvessel size (microvessel cross sectional area, MVCSA, mu m(2)) were measured. Plasma malondialdehyde concentrations (MDA-TBA, nmol/ml) served as a measure of lipid peroxidation. After 2 h of reperfusion, ischemia-reperfusion developed a significant microvascular constriction and an interstitial edema (IR, vs SHAM; P < 0.01), but administration of antioxidative vitamins before the onset of ischemia reduced microvascular constriction and edema formation (P < 0.05 vs IR group). In a similar manner, administration of vitamins before ischemia lowered plasma MDA-TBA levels as compared to the untreated group during reperfusion (P < 0.05). In animals treated with vitamins before reperfusion, the biochemical and morphological results showed no differences as compared to the untreated group. Antioxidative treatment with a multivitamin preparation exerted a beneficial effect on I/R injury of skeletal muscle when the aforementioned vitamins were administered before ischemia but not before the onset of reperfusion.