Edaravone suppresses postoperative reperfusion injury in rat lower extremity: An immunohistological study.

Free radicals cause lower extremity postoperative reperfusion injury, which has been termed myonephropathic metabolic syndrome (MNMS) (1). Currently, there is no commercially available free radical scavenger that is proven to be clinically effective for preventing MNMS. Edaravone (Radicut, Mitsubishi Pharma Co, Japan) (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline-5-one, C10H10N20, molecular weight 174.2) is the first free radical scavenger proven to be effective after acute cerebral infarction (2). We previously suggested that edaravone might suppress postoperative reperfusion injury in a rat model (3). The present study focuses on the rat muscle cell viability. Cells that stain positive for cytochrome c oxidase have high mitochondrial activity. We assessed whether edaravone can suppress postoperative reperfusion injury by evaluating muscle cell viability with cytochrome c oxidase stain.