Intensive Fluid Therapy Combined with Epinephrine Improves Orthotopic Small Bowel Transplantation in Mice

Abstract

Mouse model of orthotopic small bowel transplantation (SBT) has great advantages in the researches of post-transplant immunology and physiology, whereas it is infrequently utilized because of low survival rate. To improve this model, we modified the techniques and the perioperative treatments. Syngeneic orthotopic SBT was performed in C57 mice. Two groups were established in accordance with the perioperative treatments: control group (only intensive fluid therapy was administered); epinephrine group (intensive fluid therapy and epinephrine were applied jointly). Only fluid enteral nutrition was allowed after surgery in all recipients. Survival and the change of body weight were observed for 2 wk after transplantation. The ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the grafts was assessed by histopathology on postoperative day (POD) 1 and 7. The overall success rate was 76.5% (26/34). In control group and epinephrine group, the success rate was 66.7% (12/18) and 87.5% (14/16), respectively. No complications of thrombosis and bowel obstruction were found. The body weight changed in the same way in both groups. No differences of I/R injury were observed between two groups. Precise perioperative treatments, especially intensive fluid therapy combined with epinephrine application, improve the mouse model of orthotopic SBT to achieve satisfying success rate.