Early biochemical disorders in the hindlimb muscles following femoral artery stenosis in dogs: protein and electrolyte metabolism.

Investigations regarding the metabolism of proteins and electrolytes in the hindlimb skeletal muscles were carried out in dogs with a moderate unilateral stenosis of femoral artery (reduction of almost 65% of its lumen) early after surgery. The results of these investigations were compared with those obtained by investigating the correspondent skeletal muscles of the opposite hindlimb. This comparison has revealed the following findings: (1) ischemia in a moderate form early elicites a remarkable K+ accumulation (not a K+ loss!) in the skeletal muscle without any change in the concentrations of other cations; (2) in this instance, an activation of muscle proteases and peptidases occurs meading to an important production of histamine, which is detectable in appreciable amounts in the ischemic muscle and, especially, in its effluent blood. On the basis of the findings reported in this study, as well as on the basis of our previous findings on the same experimental model, an approach to correlate and explain the early muscular metabolic disturbances induced by a moderate ischemia is discussed. In addition, it is to be pointed out that the presence of histamine in increased amounts in the effluent blood of a skeletal muscle mass could be a reliable laboratory parameter revealing an incipient muscle ischemia.