[Protective effect of citicoline on renal ischemia]

The protective role of cyticholine was investigated on rabbit and dog kidneys subjected to temporary ischaemia. Following right nephrectomy, the right kidneys of 13 rabbits were subjected to warm ischaemia for 60'. Death occurred for various reasons within 48 hr. Histological examination suggested that tubular epithelium damage was less in the animals treated with cyticholine. In a similar experiment on 6 dogs after local and general infusion of cyticholine, warm ischaemia for 90' was followed by death in 33%, compared with 87.5% of the controls. Blood creatinine and BUN returned to normal between the 6th and the 8th days in the four surviving animals. The data suggest that cyticholine assists the functional recovery of kidneys subjected to warm ischaemia for more than 30' and limits tubular damage.