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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Dynamic Assessments of Coronary Flow Reserve after Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion in Mice
Published on: August 25, 2023
Perfluorocarbon in microcirculation during ischemia reperfusion
Pedro Cabrales1, Amy G Tsai, Marcos Intaglietta
1La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, CA.; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Background:
The effects of perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions administered at a nonhemodiluting dose were studied in the hamster window chamber model to determine the difference in ischemia-reperfusion injury associated with PFC delivery before and after an ischemic episode.
Study Design:
Ischemia was induced by compressing the periphery of the window chamber for 1 hour. Vessel diameter, red blood cell velocity, rolling and adherent leukocytes, and functional capillary density (FCD) were assessed by intravital microscopy. The animals received an infusion (10% blood volume) of PFC emulsion or equivalent volumes of saline, before or after ischemia. Two groups were studied in each experimental protocol: A, infusion after ischemia; and B, infusion before ischemia, where a fraction of the infused material stagnated in the ischemic zone during the occlusion time. Measurements were made before induced ischemia and at 0.5, 2, and 24 hours of reperfusion.
Results:
Animals treated with PFC after ischemia had substantially decreased leukocytes rolling and sticking in postcapillary venules and recovered functional capillary density and blood flow when compared with saline-treated controls. Conversely, administration of PFC before ischemia considerably reduced functional capillary density and increased leukocyte activation after reperfusion.
Conclusions:
Results indicate that PFC without stagnation within an ischemic zone attenuates postischemic reperfusion injury of striated skin muscle, presumably through the reduction of leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions. Accordingly, PFC effects on ischemia-reperfusion injury are determined mainly by the time of administration relative to the ischemic episodes.
