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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Visualization of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Mesenteric Venules After Mesenteric Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Intravital Microscopy
Published on: September 27, 2024
Protective effect of estrogen on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in pubertal rats
Xianmin Xiao1, Dehong Liu, Shan Zheng
1Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Purpose:
This study investigated the role of 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) in intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and its possible mechanism.
Methods:
Rats of pubertal age were ovariectomized and injected subcutaneously with vehicle (vehicle group) or E(2) (100 or 500 mug/kg/every other day, E(2) or 5E(2) group) for 4 weeks. Other rats of the same age underwent sham ovariectomy as a control group. The rats in each group (n = 15) were subjected to superior mesenteric artery occlusion followed by 1 hour (n = 5), 6 hours (n = 5), or 24 hours (n = 5) reperfusion. Intestine specimens then were obtained for the determination of histopathologic score, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression, and iNOS activity.
Results:
In vehicle, control, E(2), and 5E(2) groups, the histopathologic scores were 3.31 +/- 0.12, 3.00 +/- 0.09, 2.57 +/- 0.12, and 2.98 +/- 0.08, respectively. The expression levels of iNOS mRNA were 3.85 +/- 0.42, 4.86 +/- 0.76, 5.17 +/- 0.34, and 4.25 +/- 0.41 log copies, respectively. Lower histopathologic score but higher iNOS mRNA expression were found in E(2) group than in the other groups (P < .01). The level of iNOS activity paralleled the expression of iNOS mRNA.
Conclusions:
Estrogen may exert a protective effect on intestinal I/R injury in pubertal rats, probably by enhancing iNOS expression.
