Antioxidant Effect of (1.-Tocopherol on Fracture Haematoma in Rabbits

In this study, the effect of free oxygen radicals on lipid per-oxidation and the antioxidant role of a-tocopherol (vitamin E) in these reactions were investigated in haematoma fluid and venous blood samples in rabbits with femoral fracture. There were 21 male rabbits, divided into 3 groups. Conjugated dienes values (as optical density) were compared in venous blood of the rabbits in Group I taken preanaes-thesia and after the onset of anaesthesia and the difference between these values proved to be insignificant (P> 0.05). A control group (Group 2) was given saline before fracture occurrence and the other group (Group 3) was injected with a-tocopherol 20 mg/kg intramuscularly. Venous blood sam-ples and fracture haematoma fluids in both Group 2 and Group 3 were assayed biochemically. It was established that conjugated dienes values in fracture haematoma fluid in rab-bits in the control group were higher than the values in the venous blood of the rabbits in the same group (P < 0.05). However, conjugated dienes values in the a-tocopherol injec-ted group both in the haematoma fluid and in venous blood were reduced compared with those in the control group (P < 0.5). In view of the fact that ischaemia and reperfusion de-velop in fractured regions and that general body ischaemia develops following serious fractures of the extremities, we consider that prophylactic administration of antioxidants such as a-tocopherol may be beneficial in suppressing the destructive effects of free oxygen radicals in cells