Increased Survival of Experimental Skin Flaps in Rats Following Treatment with Antiadrenergic Drugs

Abstract

The effect upon the survival of skin flaps of several drugs which affect the adrenergic system was studied in rats. In control animals 41% of the skin flaps had survived seven days after the operation. Reserpine (1 mg/kg) injected intraperioneally (i.p.) three days and one day before the flap operation increased the surviving flap area by 75% (p<0.001) as compared to control rats injected with saline. I.p. injection of guanethidine (5 mg/kg) or bretylium (10 mg/kg) every 12 hours, starting 24 hours before surgery and continued for 5 consecutive days, also increased the surviving flap area (19 and 33% respectively p<0.001). The surviving flap area was unchanged when desipramine (5 mg/kg) was injected in the same way and was decreased by 15% (p<0.05) following i.p. injection of the MAO inhibitor pheniprazine (5 mg/kg). Treatment with α-methyl-p-tyrosine (75 mg/kg), i.p. 30 min before surgery or 6-hydroxydopamine (50 mg/kg) i.v. 24 hours prior to surgery also increased the flap survival (56 and 49% increase in surviving flap area, respectively, p<0.001). The results demonstrated that the survival of skin flaps increased when the function of the adrenergic nervous system was inhibited. Enhanced sympathetic nervous activity slightly reduced or did not affect skin flap survival.