The effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on tissue damage in lung after hindlimb ischemia-reperfusion

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on the lungs as a remote organ after performing hindlimb ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) and by assessing biochemical and histopathological analysis.

The animals were divided into three groups: control, I/R, and I/R with CAPE. I/R period for 8 h was performed on the right hindlimb of all the anesthesied rats in I/R and CAPE with I/R group. In the CAPE with I/R group, the animals received CAPE 10 microM by intraperitoneal injection 1h before the reperfusion. The animals in the control and I/R groups received a similar volume of saline solution by means of intraperitoneal injection. At the end of the reperfusion period, a midsternotomy was performed. Blood, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissue were obtained, and were used for biochemical and histopathological examination.

The tissue and serum malondyaldehyde levels were significantly lower in the control (P=0.0001 and 0.001, respectively) and in the CAPE with I/R groups (P=0.0001 and 0.003, respectively) compared to the I/R group. Tissue Na(+)-K(+) ATPase activity in the CAPE with I/R group was significantly higher than in the I/R group (P=0.0001). Reduced activity was found in the I/R group compared to the control group (P=0.0001). Myeloperoxidase activity (P=0.001) and protein concentration (P=0.034) in BAL were significantly reduced in CAPE-treated animals when compared with the I/R group. A decreased activity and protein concentration were found in the control group compared to the I/R group (P=0.0001 and 0.024, respectively). The lungs of the I/R group displayed intense peribronchial and perivascular leukocytic infiltration in histopathological examination compared to the CAPE with I/R group (P<0.05).

CAPE seems to be effective in protecting remote organ injury caused by increased oxidative stress and neutrophil accumulation that results from an I/R injury.