R-100 improves pulmonary function and systemic fluid balance in sheep with combined smoke-inhalation injury and Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is a major cause of death in intensive care units around the world . The aim of the study was to investigate whether the novel drug R-100 (a superoxide degradation catalyst and nitric oxide donor) improves pulmonary function in a sheep model of septic shock caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and smoke inhalation. METHODS: Eleven female sheep were prepared surgically and randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 5) or a control group (n = 6) after inhalation of cooled cotton smoke and airway instillation of live P. aeruginosa (2.5 × 1011 CFU) by bronchoscope under deep anesthesia and analgesia. The treatment group received an intravenous infusion of a total of 80 mg/kg of R-100 diluted in 500 mL of 5% dextrose. The control group was given 500 mL of 5% dextrose. All animals received intravenous lactated Ringer's solution to maintain a hematocrit level at baseline ± 3%. Blood gas and hemodynamics were measured at baseline and then analyzed every 3 h during the 24-h study period. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. RESULTS: The treated animals showed significant improvement in their pulmonary gas exchange (PaO2/FiO2 ratio at 24 h: 246 ± 29 vs. 90 ± 40 mmHg control, P < 0.05). Pulmonary arterial pressures were reduced in the treated group (24 h: 26 ± 1 vs. 30 ± 2 cm mmHg control, P < 0.05). The treated animals also had an improved total fluid balance after 24 h (190 ± 45/24 h mL vs. 595 ± 234/24 h mL control, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with R-100 improves pulmonary gas exchange and blood oxygenation, and prevents a fluid imbalance in sheep subjected to smoke inhalation and P. aeruginosa.

Healing efficacy of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seed oil in an ovine burn wound model.

To investigate the efficacy of sea buckthorn (SBT) seed oil - a rich source of substances known to have anti-atherogenic and cardioprotective activity, and to promote skin and mucosa epithelization - on burn wound healing, five adult sheep were subjected to 3rd degree flame burns. Two burn sites were made on the dorsum of the sheep and the eschar was excised down to the fascia. Split-thickness skin grafts were harvested, meshed, and fitted to the wounds. The autograft was placed on the fascia and SBT seed oil was topically applied to one recipient and one donor site, respectively, with the remaining sites treated with vehicle. The wound blood flow (LASER Doppler), and epithelization (ultrasound) were determined at 6, 14, and 21 days after injury. 14 days after grafting, the percentage of epithelization in the treated sites was greater (95 ± 2.2% vs. 83 ± 2.9%, p<0.05) than in the untreated sites. Complete epithelization time was shorter in both treated recipient and donor sites (14.20 ± 0.48 vs. 19.60 ± 0.40 days, p<0.05 and 13.40 ± 1.02 vs. 19.60 ± 0.50 days, p<0.05, respectively) than in the untreated sites, confirmed by ultrasound. In conclusion, SBT seed oil has significant wound healing activity in full-thickness burns and split-thickness harvested wounds.