Comparative evaluation of experimental injury models for assessing systemic lactate response

Experimental models of tissue injury may differ in their ability to obtain a measurable systemic metabolic response. The aim of our study was to compare systemic lactate dynamics across three trauma models-muscular, vascular, and bone trauma-and to assess their suitability for investigating circulating lactate as a marker of metabolic response.

Materials and methods

Male Wistar rats were allocated to three groups: skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion, vascular trauma, and tibial bone injury (n = 11/group). Blood lactate was measured at three time points (T1-T3). Lactate peak, final concentration, clearance, and temporal slope were calculated and compared between models. Non-parametric statistical methods were applied because of deviations from normality.