Limb Ischemic Conditioning Induces Oxidative Stress Followed by a Correlated Increase of HIF-1α in Healthy Volunteers.

Background Local and remote ischemic preconditioning has been used as a protective intervention against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage in several preclinical and clinical studies. However, its physiological mechanisms are not completely known. I/R increases the production of reactive oxygen species, which also serve as messengers for a variety of functions. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) is probably the most important transcription factor mediator of hypoxic signaling. Objective We hypothesized that limb ischemic conditioning (LIC) induces a local oxidative/nitrosative stress and a correlated increase of HIF-1α plasma levels. Methods An observational, prospective, and single-c…