Mechanisms of postischemic injury in skeletal muscle: intervention strategies

Reperfusion of ischemic skeletal muscle leads to adverse local and systemic effects. These detrimental effects may be attenuated by interfering with or modulating the pathophysiological processes that are set in motion during ischemia and/or reperfusion. The purpose of this paper is to review the different intervention strategies that have been employed in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury. The results of these studies indicate that the postischemic injury processes that lead to cell dysfunction and death are multifactorial in nature and include oxidant generation, elaboration of proinflammatory mediators, infiltration of leukocytes, Ca2+ overload, phospholipid peroxidation and depletion, impaired nitric oxide metabolism, and reduced ATP production. Although the etiopathogenesis of skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion is complex, careful delineation of the mechanisms that contribute to postischemic microvascular dysfunction and muscle necrosis has progressed to the point where rational intervention strategies may be proposed and implemented as potential treatments for skeletal muscle dysfunction associated with ischemia-reperfusion.