Sulforaphane and Albumin Attenuate Experimental Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Abstract Background Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury constitutes a severe disorder, in great part resulting from oxidative stress. Because sulforaphane and albumin were shown to increase antioxidant defenses, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of these agents in an experimental model of I/R injury. Methods Wistar rats were used to establish a model of intestinal I/R (35 min of ischemia, followed by 45 min of reperfusion) and were treated with albumin (5 mL/kg), sulforaphane (500 μg/kg), or saline intravenously before reperfusion. Animals that were not subjected to I/R served as the sham (laparotomy only) and control groups. Blood samples were analyzed for arterial gas, reactive oxygen species, and reactive nitrogen species using different molecular fluorescent probes. After euthanasia, ileal samples were collected for analysis, including histopathology, immunohistochemistry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assays, and lactic dehydrogenase measurement. Results Oxygenation status and hemodynamic parameters were uniform during the experiment. The sulforaphane- or albumin-treated groups showed reduced concentrations of reactive oxygen species (P  Conclusions Attenuation of intestinal I/R injury in this model probably reflects the antioxidative effects of systemic administration of both sulforaphane and albumin and reinforces their use in future translational research.