The protective effect of orally administered redox nanoparticle on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury is a serious abdominal condition leading to multiple organ failure with high mortality. However, no reliable treatment is available. A redox nanoparticle (RNP^O) was recently developed, and its efficacy for several intestinal inflammatory conditions has been reported. To this end, the aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of RNP^O on intestinal I-R injury in mice.

Ischemia was induced in the small intestine of C57BL/6 mice by occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min under anesthesia followed by reperfusion for 4 h. Mice were orally administered the vehicle or RNP^O 1 h before ischemia. Inflammatory markers such as histological findings, thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substances as an index of lipid peroxidation, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity as an index of neutrophil infiltration, and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA in the intestinal mucosa were assessed.

Induction of I-R caused a significant increase in inflammatory markers (histological scores, TBA-reactive substances, MPO activity, and expression of keratinocyte chemoattractant mRNA). These changes were significantly attenuated in RNP^O-treated mice as compared to vehicle-treated mice.

Orally administered RNP^O attenuated intestinal I-R injury in mice in association with reductions in neutrophil infiltration and lipid peroxidation, suggesting the possibly potential of RNP^O as a therapeutic agent for intestinal I-R injury.