Protective role of pinocembrin in a rat model of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Purpose: To determine whether pinocembrin (PC) confers protective effects against experimentally induced intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.

Methods: Thirty Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each): sham (underwent laparotomy only); I/R (superior mesenteric artery occlusion for 60 min followed by 60 min reperfusion); and I/R + PC (5 mg/kg PC intraperitoneally before ischemia and again prior to reperfusion). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured in both plasma and intestinal tissue. Histopathological evaluation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and a modified Chiu scoring system.

Results: Although TAC values did not show significant intergroup differences (p > 0.05), TOS and OSI values were significantly lower in the I/R + PC group than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). Histologically, the I/R + PC group displayed noticeably reduced mucosal damage compared to the untreated I/R group. These results suggest that PC alleviates oxidative stress and improves histological outcomes in intestinal I/R.

Conclusion: PC exhibits a protective effect against intestinal I/R injury by decreasing oxidative stress and preserving tissue architecture. Further studies are warranted to optimize PC's dosing, timing, and mechanistic actions for clinical application.