Effects of antimicrobial agents on the Toll like receptors and myeloid differentiation protein-2 in liver tissue of alcohol-induced liver disease: experiment with rats

Abstract

To investigate the effects of antimicrobial agents on the Toll like receptors (TLRs) and myeloid differentiation protein (MD)-2 in liver tissue of alcohol-induced liver disease with Vibrio vulnificus (VV) sepsis. Eighty SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: alcohol gastric lavage group (n = 74) undergoing alcohol gastric perfusion once a day for 10 weeks and normal control group (Group N, n = 6). 66 surviving rats in the gastric perfusion group were randomly divided into 6 equal subgroups: Subgroup A was alcohol-induced liver disease control subgroup. Subgroup AA, alcohol-induced liver disease and antibacterial drug control subgroup, underwent intraperitoneal injection of cefoperazone sodium and levofloxacin (LVFX). The other 9 subgroups underwent subcutaneous injection of VV to establish animal model of VV sepsis, the rats of 4 of which were killed 2, 6, 12, and 24 h later respectively with their livers taken out (Subgroups AV), and the rats of 5 of which underwent intraperitoneal injection of cefoperazone sodium and LVFX 4 h after VV injection twice a day (Subgroups AVA) and were killed 6, 12 , 24 , 36 h, and 1 week later with their livers taken out. The behavioral changed were observed. PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of TLR2, TLR4, and MD-2. The mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, and MD-2 in liver 2, 6, 12, and 24 h after in Subgroups AV were all significantly higher than those of Group N (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) with the maximum level in the AV-12 h subgroup. The mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, and MD-2 in liver 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h after the VV injection of Subgroup AVA were all significantly lower than those of Group AV (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, and MD-2 in liver tissue of alcohol-induced liver disease with VV sepsis, which may be reduced by treatment of cefoperazone sodium and LVFX, are associated with the development of VV sepsis. This treatment is effective on this disease. Dynamic monitoring of the mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, and MD-2 in liver tissue benefits observation of the VV sepsis progress and treatment.