Reperfusion injury is reduced in skeletal muscle by inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase

1 Orthopaedic Microsurgery Laboratory, Department of Surgery, and 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Divisions, Department of Medicine, and Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710 This study evaluated the effects of the selective inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor N -[3-(aminomethyl)benzyl]acetamidine (1400W) on the microcirculation in reperfused skeletal muscle. The cremaster muscles from 32 rats underwent 5 h of ischemia followed by 90 min of reperfusion. Rats received either 3 mg/kg 1400W or PBS subcutaneously before reperfusion. We found that blood flow in reperfused muscles was