Ischaemic postconditioning reduces peroxide formation, cytokine expression and leukocyte activation in reperfusion injury after abdominal aortic surgery in rat model.

Objective: We studied the protective effects of ischaemic postconditioning (PS) on ischemia-reperfusion injury of the lower extremities in a rat model of abdominal aortic intervention. We aimed to examine the evoked oxidative stress, cytokine expression and leukocyte activation after revascularisation surgery.

Methods: Anesthetized animals (48 Whistar rats) underwent a 60 min infrarenal aorta cross-clamping.