Fenofibrate protects the intestine against ischemia/reperfusion injury

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a potentially devastating condition, associated with a systemic inflammatory response. It occurs during shock, transplant procedures, or vascular surgery. Objective: We evaluated the protective effects of Fenofibrate (FEN) over intestinal I/R injury. Materials and methods: Intestinal I/R was induced in male Wistar rats by clamping the superior mesenteric artery for 60 minutes, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. Rats either received saline or FEN (100 mg/k, via gavage) daily, for three days before inducing I/R. Sham operated rats were used as normal controls. At the end of the procedure, tissue and blood samples were obtained. Serum concentrations of AST, ALT, LDH, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), malonaldehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined. A histopathological analysis was also performed. Results: After I/R, there was evident tissue injury, as well as serum elevations of AST, ALT, and LDH concentrations. These alterations were reduced by FEN treatment. TNF-alpha concentrations were increased in saline treated animals when compared with FEN treated group (2.26±1 ng/ml vs. 0.23±0.41 ng/ml, respectively, p <0.05). A similar pattern was observed in MDA levels (7.42±1.72 μM/ml vs. 1.72±0.61 μM/ml, respectively, p <0.05). TAC was reduced in saline treated animals (2.05±0.36 Trolox-Equivalents), but preserved in the FEN treated group (3.08±0.36 Trolox-Equivalents, p <0.05). Conclusion: FEN reduced intestinal I/R injury, probably due to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Its usefulness as a treatment for I/R should be studied.