Methods: A renal ischemia model was created by clamping the aorta of the suprarenal region of the Wistar rats, as mimicking abdominal aortic surgery. Two cycles of ischemic preconditioning with ischemia for 10 min and reperfusion for 10 min, carnitine and ischemic preconditioning + carnitine protocols were applied. Nephrectomy materials and histopathological and biochemical changes of serum samples were examined.

Results: Renal tubules were the histopathologically and significantly affected regions by ischemia-reperfusion injury. It was found that the ischemic preconditioning procedure consisting of two cycles of ischemia for 10 min and reperfusion for 10 min was suspicious at preventing the reperfusion injury. Oral carnitine was unable to reduce the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury histopathologically; however, it significantly increased the tissue catalase activity.

Conclusion: Ischemic preconditioning and carnitine may prevent renal ischemia-reperfusion injury to a certain extent during abdominal aortic surgery requiring suprarenal cross-clamping.