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Preconditioning of the rat random-pattern skin flap: modulation by opioids
S Kiumehr1, S Demehri, S Rabbani
1Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 13145-784, Tehran, Iran.
British Journal of Plastic Surgery
|January 5, 2005
Summary
Local morphine administration protects skin flap survival by reducing necrosis, while systemic doses show no effect. Opioid receptors mediate this protection and are crucial for ischemic preconditioning.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Pharmacology
- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Background:
- Opioid receptors are known to protect organs from ischemic events.
- The role of opioid receptors in skin flap survival requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of opioid receptors on random-pattern skin flap survival in rats.
- To determine if local or systemic morphine administration impacts flap viability.
- To elucidate the involvement of opioid receptors in ischemic preconditioning (IPC).
Main Methods:
- Sixty-nine Sprague-Dawley rats underwent dorsal skin flap elevation.
- Varying doses of morphine were administered locally or systemically.
- Naloxone was used to block opioid receptors and assess morphine's mechanism.
- IPC was induced, and the effect of naloxone on morphine's protective action was evaluated.
Main Results:
- Local administration of high-dose morphine (1 and 5 mg/flap) significantly reduced skin flap necrosis (P < 0.05).
- Systemic morphine administration did not significantly affect flap survival.
- Naloxone blocked the protective effect of local morphine and diminished the anti-ischemic effect of IPC.
Conclusions:
- Local administration of morphine enhances random-pattern skin flap survival by reducing necrosis.
- Opioid receptors play a significant role in mediating the protective effects of morphine on skin flaps.
- Opioid receptors are integral to the ischemic preconditioning phenomenon in this model.