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Splenectomy attenuates severe thermal trauma-induced intestinal barrier breakdown in rats

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Abstract

The severe local thermal trauma activates a number of systemic inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-α, NF-κB, resulting in a disruption of gut barrier. The gastrointestinal tight junction (TJ) is highly regulated by membrane-associated proteins including zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1) and occludin, which can be modulated by inflammatory cytokines. As splenectomy has been shown to reduce secretion of cytokines, we hypothesized that (1) severe scald injury up-regulates TNF-α and NF-κB, meanwhile down-regulates expression of ZO-1 and occludin, leading to the increased intestinal permeability, and (2) splenectomy can prevent the burn-induced decrease in ZO-1 and occludin expression, resulting in improved intestinal barrier. Wistar rats undergoing a 30% total body surface area (TBSA) thermal trauma were randomized to receive an accessorial splenectomy meanwhile or not. Intestinal injury was assessed by histological morphological analysis, and serum endotoxin levels, TNF-α, NF-κB, ZO-1 and occludin levels were detected by Western blotting in the terminal ileum mucosal tissue. 30% TBSA burn caused a significant increase in serum endotoxin levels, but NF-κB, and TNF-α, and the average intestinal villus height and mucosal thickness were decreased significantly. Burn injury could also markedly decrease the levels of ZO-1 and occludin in terminal ileum mucosal tissue (all P<0.01). Splenectomy at 7th day after burn significantly reversed the burn-induced breakdown of ZO-1 and occludin (all P<0.01). The results of this study suggest that severe thermal injury damages the intestinal mucosal barrier. Splenectomy may provide a therapeutic benefit in restoring burn-induced intestinal barrier by decreasing the release of inflammatory cytokines and recovering TJ proteins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200233, China

    Xiang-dong Liu  (柳向东)

  2. Department of General Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Zhen-yong Chen  (陈振勇), Peng Yang  (杨 鹏), Wen-guang Huang  (黄文广) & Chun-fang Jiang  (蒋春舫)

Authors
  1. Xiang-dong Liu  (柳向东)
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  2. Zhen-yong Chen  (陈振勇)
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  3. Peng Yang  (杨 鹏)
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  4. Wen-guang Huang  (黄文广)
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  5. Chun-fang Jiang  (蒋春舫)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhen-yong Chen  (陈振勇).

Additional information

This project was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2010CDBO7804)

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Liu, Xd., Chen, Zy., Yang, P. et al. Splenectomy attenuates severe thermal trauma-induced intestinal barrier breakdown in rats. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 35, 868–873 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-015-1520-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-015-1520-4

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