Abstract
Occlusion of the rat mesenteric artery for 40min followed by 120 min of reperfusion induces a severe circulatory shock and multiple organ injuries. In the present study we have investigated whether reperfusion of the intestine can induce translocation of bacteria, endotoxin, and pancreatic juice into the blood. The levels of amylase and lipase in the blood were measured to reflect the dislocation of the pancreatic juice. Plasma endotoxin levels were measured with the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Levels of E. coli DNA, as measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reflected bacterial translocation. The results showed that reperfusion of the intestine induced a significant increase in the levels of endotoxin and pancreatic juice in the blood. The blood concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, lactic dehydrogenase, creatinine kinase MB, and creatinine, and the lung weight/body weight ratio (LW/BW) increased significantly after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) challenge. Inflammatory parameters such as WBC count and hydroxyl radical (•OH), nitric oxide (NO), and tumor necrosis factor α(TNFα) levels also increased significantly. One group of rats was exposed to endotoxin at 5ng/kg, a level 10 times the concentration seen in the blood after I/R. Another group of rats received pancreatic homogenate intravenously at a concentration that produced levels of amylase and lipase similar to those induced by I/R. The resulting organ injuries and inflammatory responses produced by injection of pancreatic homogenate were significantly higher than those caused by endotoxin but similar to those induced by I/R. These findings suggest that I/R of the intestine induce multiple organ injuries that appear to be more dependent on the translocation of pancreatic enzymes than of endotoxin.
Published Version
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