The Healing Effect of Resveratrol on Ischemic Tissue Injury in an Experimental Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Model

Purpose: To investigate the healing effect of resveratrol on ischemia, inflammation and oxidative injury in brain and heart tissue of rats in an experimentally induced carbonmonoxide (CO) intoxication model. Methods: Twenty-eight mature female Spraque Dawley rats were randomized into four groups of seven animals each. Groups I and II inhaled room air for 60 minutes. Groups III and IV inhaled a high concentration of a 5000 ppm CO gas mixture at 4 L/min until loss of consciousness. Blood CO levels were measured from 1 mL blood specimens collected from the tail vein. Groups I and III received 1 mL of normal saline while groups II and IV received 25 mg/kg resveratrol intraperitoneally. At the end of 48 hour, the rats were sacrified and later blood, brain and heart tissue samples were taken for histopathological and biochemical evaluation. Neuron damage scores, percentages of degenerate neurons and apoptosis rates in the cortex and hypothalamus were calculated in brain tissues. Myocyte degeneration, vascular congestion and myocyte apoptosis rates were calculated in heart tissues. Total antioxidant (TAS), total oxidant (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) levels were also calculated from the tissue samples. Results: Histopathological evaluation revealed that resveratrol significantly reduced tissue damage in the brain when groups III and IV were compared (p<0.05). Resveratrol also reduced cardiac myocyte degeneration and myocyte apoptosis rate in heart tissue (p=0.004 and p=0.002). No positive effect was determined at analysis of antioxidant parameters. Conclusion: The results of this study investigated that resveratrol administration in experimental setting may be beneficial in healing injury secondary to CO intoxication in brain and heart tissue.