Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2026
Model of Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury in Rabbits
Published on: November 3, 2023
Effect of post-ischemic hypothermia on spinal cord damage induced by transient ischemic insult in rabbits
Koji Tsutsumi1, Toshihiko Ueda, Hideyuki Shimizu
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Objective:
The effect of post-ischemic mild hypothermia applied immediately after induced transient ischemia on the extent of neuronal damage to the spinal cord was investigated in rabbit.
Subjects And Methods:
A 15-minute period of transient abdominal aortic occlusion for spinal cord ischemia at a rectal temperature of 37.3 +/- 0.3 degrees C was performed just below the left renal vein via median laparotomy. Three groups of rabbits were investigated; Group 1 (n = 8) subjected to ischemia and reperfused at the same temperature for 7 hours, Group 2 (n = 8) also subjected to ischemia and then to 6 hours of systemic hypothermia (32.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C), and Group 3 (n = 8) non-ischemic controls. All the rabbits in Group 1 and Group 2 were sacrificed at 1 week after ischemic injury. Spinal cord sections were examined microscopically to determine the extent of ischemic neuronal damage.
Results:
The mean modified Tarlov's score at 1 week after ischemic injury was 0.5 +/- 0.8 in Group 1, whereas it was 4.4 +/- 1.4 (p < .001) in Group 2. The mean total number of surviving neurons within examined sections of the spinal cord was significantly greater in Group 2 than in Group 1 (Group 1: 81 +/- 66.1 vs Group 2: 300.9 +/- 154.1, p < .001).
Conclusion:
Post-ischemic hypothermia induced immediately after reperfusion significantly reduced ischemia-induced neuronal damage in rabbit.
