Preliminary Results of Gastric Restriction with phytobezoar in Rats

Abstract

Obesity is considered a worldwide epidemic today. It is related to metabolic disorders and increased mortality. As an alternative to unsuccessful medical treatment, bariatric surgery promotes weight loss and reduction of associated diseases.The present study used animal models to analyze intestinal disorders as resulted from acute weight loss. We used Adult, male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albicans) weighing between 250–350 grams. In order to reduce the gastric capacity and cause significant weight loss, without causing anemia, it was chosen to perform a surgical procedure. The rats Were submitted to laparotomy and gastrostomy to reduce gastric capacity by insertion of a cylindrical sleeve Luffa (loofah) (1.5cm in diameter) made of cylindrical luffa, producing experimental phytobezoar.The animals of Sham group (S) were exposed to the same surgical procedure described above, except for the implant of phytobezoar. From the first day after surgery, the animals were divided into six groups of 10 animals each, the first group of 10 days until euthanasia was subjected to the stomach reduction surgery (R10), the second group of 21 days until euthanasia under the same conditions above (R21), both with their respective controls sham (S10/S21) and normal controls (C10/C21) 10 and 21 days. Each animal was weighed every other day until the day of euthanasia. Sections of small intestine slides were stained with hematoxylin eosin and analyzed in order to measure length of the crypts and the number of goblet cells were recorded.Statistical analysis used Student t test and to compare weight, goblet cells and crypts length in the experimental, sham and control groups. The analysis of goblet cell count on C10 group indicated a statistically significant higher number compared to the R10. However, the length of C10 is significantly lower than the R10 group. The reduction verified on the Restriction group (R10) suggests that phytobezoar's presence causes a reduction in crypts height which clinically translates in to reduction of absorption and secretive capacity of the enteric mucosa.