The Inflammation in the Gut After Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Abstract

Gastrointestinal dysfunction could be frequently observed in the patients suffering from SAH. This study test the hypothesis that experimental SAH could induce histopathological changes and inflammatory response associating with NF-kappaB activation pathway in the gut. A total of 17 rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: control group (n = 8) and SAH group (n = 9). In the SAH group, the animals were subjected to experimental SAH according to the "two-hemorrhage" method. The histopathological study was performed to detect the intestinal mucosal morphological changes and immunohistochemical study was used to detect the TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 expressions. NF-kappaB binding activity was measured using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. It was demonstrated that some damage changes and leukocytes infiltration occurred in the intestinal mucosa after SAH. More positive cells for TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 were observed in the SAH group. The NF-kappaB binding activity in the intestines was significantly increased in the SAH group (P < 0.01). The results of the present study suggest that SAH in the rabbits could induce NF-kappaB and proinflammatory cytokines activation in the intestine, which is associated with morphological changes.