ABSTRACT
Low level chemiluminescence of exposed rat intestine was measured during occlusive ischaemia and reperfusion. Spontaneous emission of in vivo rat intestine (10 +/- 1 cps/cm2) decreased almost to zero in animals subjected to ischaemia and when the period of ischaemia lasted only two minutes, chemiluminescence increased beyond control levels (39%, three minutes after reperfusion) at intestine deligation. This overshoot did not occur when rats were pretreated with allopurinol (40 + 100 mg/kg bw). The ratio of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase activities was 3.46 in preischaemic intestine samples. The same ratio was changed to 0.35 in samples subjected to two minutes of ischaemia. As chemiluminescence appears to reflect the steady state level of singlet oxygen, which in turn derives from the steady state level of peroxy radicals, these results agree with the view that oxygen radicals derived from the xanthine oxidase reaction are involved in the cellular damage produced after ischaemia and reoxygenation in the intestine.
Subject(s)
Ischemia/enzymology , Jejunum/blood supply , Luminescent Measurements , Allopurinol/pharmacology , Animals , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Rats , Rats, Inbred Strains , Reperfusion , Time Factors , Xanthine Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Xanthine Oxidase/antagonists & inhibitors , Xanthine Oxidase/metabolismABSTRACT
In vivo rat lung chemiluminescence was measured at different times after a single injection of either 30 or 60 mg paraquat/kg b.w. The lungs were isolated to determine myeloperoxidase (index of polymorphonuclear leukocytes), lung wet weight (lung edema) and malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation). The highest chemiluminescence was reached 30 hours after injection of 30 mg/kg or 6 hours after a 60 mg/kg dose. The peak chemiluminescence was coincident with the maximum concentration of myeloperoxidase and lung wet weight suggesting that most chemiluminescence was the consequence of polymorphonuclear activation after migration to the injured areas.