The effect of peritoneal air exposure on intestinal motility and intestinal inflammation in rat

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of peritoneal air exposure on intestinal motility and intestinal inflammation.Methods Thirty rats were randomized into five groups:a control group (C),a sham group (S),and three exposure groups with peritoneal air exposure for 1,2 and 3 h (E1,E2,E3),respectively (n =6 each).At 24 h after surgery,gastrointestinal transit was assessed by charcoal transport; twenty minutes later,systemic inflammation was assessed by serum tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α,interleukin (IL)-1β,IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations; and intestinal inflammation was assessed by the concentrations and gene expression of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-10.Results The gastrointestinal transit in C,S,E1,E2,E3 group was (62.26 ± 8.22)％,(65.27 ± 8.45)％,(58.21 ±7.26)％,(43.89 ± 6.63) ％,(38.62 ± 6.28) ％,respectively; E2 and E3 group showed a lower level in gastrointestinal transit than C group (P ＜ 0.05).In addition,E1,E2 and E3 group showed an increase in the concentrations of serum and intestinal inflammatory cytokines,and an increase in the relative expression of intestinal inflammatory cytokines when compared with C group.Furthermore,we found that this difference was proportional to the incremental time length of peritoneal air exposure,differed significantly in E2 or E3 group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The data suggest that the time length of peritoneal air exposure is proportional to the degree of intestinal motility and the activation of systemic and intestinal inflammation.This injury induced by peritoneal air exposure may be a key factor contributing to the longer time recovery of gastrointestinal function after open abdominal surgery than that after laparoscopic surgery. Key words: Peritoneal air exposure; Gastrointestinal motility; Inflammation