Geraniol Ameliorates Sepsis in Neonatal Rats by Regulating Calprotectin and Inflammatory Response

Abstract

Sepsis is characterized by systemic infection that causes multiple organ dysfunction and is associated with a high mortality rate in the paediatric intensive care unit. In the present study, we investigated the effect of geraniol on sepsis in neonatal rats. Sepsis was induced in neonatal rats by intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation with almost 6,000 colony forming units of Escherichia coli. The rats were treated with geraniol (25 or 50 mg/kg i.p.) 1 h after the administration of E. coli. Survival rate over 30 h, bacterial load, blood parameters, and inflammatory cytokines were measured. Histopathological analysis and qRT-PCR were performed on rat liver tissues. Geraniol improved the survival rate and sepsis severity in neonatal sepsis rats. Inflammatory cytokine levels, liver function test results, and blood parameters were improved in the geraniol-treated compared to sepsis group. Geraniol attenuated mRNA expression of calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9) and TLR-4 in the liver tissue of neonatal sepsis rats. Therefore, geraniol reduced bacterial load in body fluids and inflammatory mediators in neonatal sepsis rats by inhibiting calprotectin and TLR-4 pathways.