Creatine supplementation attenuates pulmonary and systemic effects of lung ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Background Creatine (Cr) is a dietary supplement that presents beneficial effects in experimental models of heart and brain ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. It can improve adenosine 5′-triphosphate generation and reduce cell damage. This study evaluated the effects of Cr supplementation in a model of lung I/R. Methods Forty male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: sham operated, Cr+sham, I/R, and Cr+I/R. We investigated the effects of 5 days of Cr supplementation (0.5 g/kg/day by gavage) before left pulmonary artery ischemia (90 minutes) and reperfusion (120 minutes) on pulmonary and systemic response. Results Cr inhibited the I/R-induced increase in exhaled nitric oxide ( p p p p p p p p p p p Conclusions Cr supplementation presents pulmonary and systemic protective effects in acute lung injury induced by I/R in rats. These beneficial effects seem to be related to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Cr and modulation of TLRs.