Background/Aim: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of skeletal muscles is common pathophysiology during surgeries and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays a critical role in this process. SOD-modeled coordination compound (MSODa) may simulate the protective effects as SOD. Methods: Therefore, this study was designed to explore the protective effects and underlying mechanism of MSODa on malondialdehyde (MDA) and integrin-β2 (CD11b/CD18) in plasma, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in tissue, and morphological changes before and after I/R injury. The rat model of I/R in hind limb was established and randomly divided into sham, ischemia, I/R, I/R-treated with saline, SOD, and MSODa, respectively. Results: These results showed that averaged values for MDA, MPO, CD11b/CD18, and ICAM-1 were significantly increased (P < 0.01 vs ischemia alone) in a time-dependent fashion along with marked tissue remodeling, such as abnormal arrangement of muscular fibers, interstitial edema, vasodilation with no-reflow, inflammatory cells adherent and infiltration, structural changes in mitochondrial, and decrease in glycogens as well. However, all parameter changes induced by I/R injury were reversed, at least partially, by MSODa and SOD treatments and intriguingly, the beneficial/protective effects of MSODa was superior to SOD with an early onset. Conclusion: This novel finding demonstrates that MSODa improves I/R injury of skeletal muscles due at least partially to inhibition of adherent molecule expression and reduction of oxygen free radical formation during I/R pathophysiological processes and this protective action of MSODa was superior to SOD, highlighting the bright future for MSODa in clinical management of tissue I/R injury.