ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning against cold ischemia and reperfusion injury of rat intestinal graft following orthotopic transplantation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty SD rats were randomly assigned into two groups with and without ischemic preconditioning, and each group was divided into 4 subgroups (n=10) according to the intestinal graft cold ischemia time of 3, 6, 12, and 18 h, respectively. Ischemic preconditioning model was established, and the small intestinal graft was preserved at 4 degrees celsius; in Ringer lactate solution for the corresponding time, followed by orthotopic transplantation of the graft. The graft samples were collected for histological examination 1 h after reperfusion, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) expression in the epithelial cells was detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ischemia preconditioning obviously relieved the histological ischemia/reperfusion injury, as shown by regular alignment of the small intestinal villi, alleviated muscular layer edema and decreased expression of NF-kappaB in the epithelia of the graft in groups with cold preservation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ischemic preconditioning can protect the intestinal graft from cold ischemia/reperfusion injury, and NF-kappaB is an important cytokine in ischemia preconditioning.</p>