Effects of Dexmedetomidine Administered Through Different Routes on Kidney Tissue in Rats with Spinal Cord Ischaemia–Reperfusion Injury

Necmiye Şengel,1 Zeynep Köksal,2 Ali Doğan Dursun,3 Ömer Kurtipek,2 Şaban Cem Sezen,4 Mustafa Arslan,2 Mustafa Kavutçu5 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Gazi University Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara, Turkey; 2Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; 3Department of Physiology, Atılım University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; 4Department of Histology and Embryology, Kırıkkale University Faculty of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey; 5Department of Medical Biochemistry, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mustafa Arslan, Gazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, 06510, Turkey, Tel +90 533 422 85 77, Email mustarslan@gmail.comBackground: Ischaemia–reperfusion (IR) injury, which can be encountered during surgical procedures involving the abdominal aorta, is a complex process that affects distant organs, such as the heart, liver, kidney, and lungs, as well as the lower extremities. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the limited literature by investigating the protective effect of dexmedetomidine, which was administered through different routes, on kidney tissue in rats with spinal cord IR injury.Methods: A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into five groups: control (C group), IR (IR group), IR-intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine (IRIPD group), IR-intrathecal dexmedetomidine (IRITD group), and IR-intravenous dexmedetomidine (IRIVD group). The spinal cord IR model was established. Dexmedetomidine was administered at doses of 100 μg/kg intraperitoneally, 3 μg/kg intrathecally, and 9 μg/kg intravenously. Histopathologic parameters in kidney tissue samples taken at the end of the reperfusion period and biochemical parameters in serum were evaluated.Results: When examined histopathologically, tubular dilatation was found to be significantly reduced in the IRIVD, IRITD, and IRIPD groups compared with the IR group (p = 0.012, all). Vascular vacuolization and hypertrophy were significantly decreased in the IRIVD, IRITD, and IRIPD groups compared with the IR group (p = 0.006, all). Tubular cell degeneration and necrosis were significantly reduced in the IRIVD, IRITD, and IRIPD groups compared with the IR group (p = 0.008, p = 0.08, and p = 0.030, respectively). Lymphocyte infiltration was significantly decreased in the IRIVD and IRITD groups compared with the IR group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.06, respectively).Conclusion: It was observed that dexmedetomidine administered by different routes improved the damage caused by IR in kidney histopathology. We think that the renoprotective effects of dexmedetomidine administered intravenously and intrathecally before IR in rats are greater.Keywords: dexmedetomidine, ischaemia–reperfusion, intrathecal, intravenous, rat