[Etiology and prophylaxis of reperfusion injuries]

In recent years the importance of oxyradicals in clinical veterinary medicine is incessantly grown. An important example in cattle breeding is the displaced abomasum in dairy cows. The antioxidative status of the animals is representable by means of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the blood. Post operationem the activity of SOD decreased very fast. In cows with left abomasal displacement this activity increased within 24 hours to the starting level, but in cows with right abomasal displacement the SOD-activity in this period increased only insignificantly. Because of the low level of SOD-activity in blood serum the measuring should take place in erythrocyte lysate. Today there are many possibilities of therapeutical intervention of reperfusion injury, but their clinical efficiency has to be ascertained. The treatment of cows with displaced abomasum with ascorbate, tocopherole or prednisolone before the replacement of the abomasum shows first success in terms of the antioxidative and metabolic status.