In vivo 31P-NMR studies of age and energy metabolism in an animal flap model

Changes in phosphate energy metabolism with time in a rat flap model were followed noninvasively with in vivo 31P-NMR. The influence of age on high-energy phosphate metabolites in perfused and ischemic ends of 3 x 10 cm dorsal flaps was noted from 30 minutes to 7 days after closure in 6-, 12-, and 24-month-old (n = 4, 7, and 8, respectively) male Fischer 344 rats. Phosphocreatine to inorganic phosphate ratios showed younger animals exhibiting significant returns to preinjury energy status in 2- and 3-mm ischemic layers. This behavior, 24 to 72 hours after closure, coincides with neovascularization of the flap tissue. By contrast, 12- and 24-month-old animals experienced statistically significantly lesser high-energy rebound, developing greater necrosis in the ischemic regions. Early intracellular pH lowering, indicative of lactate production, was somewhat greater in the flaps of younger animals. The in vivo 31P-NMR methods thus provide metabolic insights into flap behavior correlating with physiologic influences of aging.