The effects of different remote ischemic conditioning on ischemia-induced failure of microvascular circulation in humans.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent ischemia in remote tissues can be applied before ischemic injury, during ischemic injury or at the beginning of reperfusion of an index organ ischemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Remote Ischemic Conditioning (RIC) of the leg on changes in ischemia-induced the microvascular functions of the arm.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ischemic microvascular injury was induced by arm ischemia (20 min) and reperfusion in healthy, nonsmoker, male volunteers (ischemia group-ISC, n: 9). In another group of volunteers, to investigate the effects of remote organ ischemic conditioning 5 cycles of reperfusion followed by leg ischemia (each lasting 60 seconds) were applied either before (preRIC, n:11), or during (perRIC, n:12) or immediately after (postRIC, n:9) 20 minutes of arm ischemia. The microvascular flow of arm was assessed before and after ischemia using iontophoresis of the endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) releaser acetylcholine (ACh) and the endothelium-independent NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Changes in microvascular blood flow were measured using Laser Doppler imaging. The plasma level of biomarkers related to endothelial function such as nitric oxide (NO), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) were measured.

RESULTS: No difference was determined between the groups in terms of age, BMI or blood biochemicals reflecting cardiovascular status. ACh caused a rise in microvascular blood flow in a charge dependent manner. The ACh-induced flow increase was not significantly depressed by ischemia and not affected by any of the types of RIC in the study subjects. The increase in SNP-induced microvascular flow was significantly decreased in the ISC, perRIC and postRIC groups, but not in the preRIC group. Plasma levels of NO, ADMA, TAC and H2S were not changed by ischemia and RIC.

CONCLUSION: These results suggested that microvascular perfusion of human forearm skin was elevated by either endothelium or drug-derived NO. The effect of ischemia and RIC on NO-induced flow increase was affected differently by different applications in the healthy young individuals. These complicated results are taken into consideration in experimental and therapeutic interventions.