Effects of Subcutaneous Bupivacaine and Morphine Infiltration on Mesenteric Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury in a Rat Model

Abstract Background Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a clinical condition with high mortality, and an effective treatment strategy has yet to be established. Methods This study was conducted on a total of 48 rats. They were divided into 6 groups of 8 rats each. Rats in Group S underwent laparotomy alone, while all other groups underwent laparotomy along with SMA I/R damage. Rats in Group B received 2 mg/kg/3 mL bupivacaine, rats in Group M received 0.5 mg/kg/3 mL morphine, rats in Group BM received 2 mg/kg/2 mL bupivacaine + 0.5 mg/kg/1 mL morphine, and rats in Group BML received 2 mg/kg/2 mL bupivacaine + 0.25 mg/kg/1 mL morphine subcutaneously. At the end of the study, blood samples were taken from all rats for oxidative stress parameters, ischemia markers, and cortisol measurement, and histopathological examination was performed. Results Statistically significant differences were found among the groups with respect to mean total oxidant status (TOS), mean total antioxidant status (TAS), mean oxidative stress index (OSI), mean ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), and mean malondialdehyde (MDA) values ( p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were also observed among the groups in terms of mean corticosterone and cortisol levels ( p < 0.001). Significant differences were found among the groups regarding mean intestinal histopathology score (IHS) and mean liver histopathology score (LHS) (respectively; p = 0.021, p = 0.002). Conclusions The combination of morphine and bupivacaine provides effective analgesia and significantly improves oxidative stress parameters. The combined use of morphine and bupivacaine in infiltration anesthesia may be a promising treatment strategy for preventing I/R injury.