Effect of in vivo inhibition of neutrophil adherence on skeletal muscle function during ischemia in ferrets.

Neutrophils are reported to play an important role in the genesis of tissue damage during reperfusion after periods of ischemia in a variety of organs and may also be involved in loss of tissue function during ischemia. To test this hypothesis, the monoclonal antibody, MoAb 60.3, which prevents the adhesion of ferret neutrophils to cultured human endothelial cells at a concentration of 30 micrograms/ml, was tested in a model of peripheral vascular disease to determine whether it would preserve skeletal muscle function during ischemia. In an anesthetized ferret the muscles of the hindlimb were stimulated electrically to contract isometrically and the force of contraction was measured. Under normal perfusion conditions the contractile force peaked within 1 or 2 min of initiation of stimulation and gradually declined to approximately 80% of peak force after 20 min. When femoral arterial pressure was reduced to 45 mmHg by partial occlusion of the abdominal aorta, peak force was reduced by 25 +/- 7%, and within 5 min the force decayed to approximately 20% of the original peak, resulting in an area under the force-time curve (AUC) of 32 +/- 5% of that seen during the normal flow period. During ischemia after treatment with MoAb 60.3 (2 mg/kg iv), peak force was 94 +/- 3% and AUC was 49 +/- 5% of that observed during the normal flow period, a significant protective effect compared with the untreated control group (P = 0.0294). When the nonneutrophil-directed monoclonal antibody, L6, was tested in this model, no protective effects were evident.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)