Atherosclerosis aggravates ischemia/reperfusion injury in the gut and remote damage in the liver and the lung.

Objective: We investigated whether mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-associated gut injury and remote liver and lung damage are affected by prevalent atherosclerosis.

Methods: Mesenteric ischemia was induced in atherosclerotic ApoE-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) and control C57BL/6 mice by clamping the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min. Mesenteric microcirculatory dysfunction and leukocytic inflammation were studied in the terminal ileum by intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM).