Related Experiment Videos
Obstructive jaundice alters CD44 expression in rat small intestine
Shyr-Ming Sheen-Chen1, Hsin-Tsung Ho, Wei-Jen Chen
1Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. smsheen@yahoo.com
Digestion
|May 22, 2002
Summary
Obstructive jaundice initially increases CD44 expression in rat intestines, but prolonged jaundice decreases it. Oral glutamine effectively restores CD44 expression in rats with obstructive jaundice.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Cell Biology
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- CD44 is an adhesion molecule vital for cell binding and maintaining intestinal integrity.
- Its role in obstructive jaundice and the potential of glutamine to modulate its expression are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of obstructive jaundice on CD44 expression in the rat small intestine.
- To determine if oral glutamine supplementation can restore altered CD44 expression.
Main Methods:
- A prospective animal study involving 41 Sprague-Dawley rats randomized into four groups: control, 1-week obstructive jaundice, 2-week obstructive jaundice, and 2-week obstructive jaundice with daily oral glutamine.
- Immunohistochemical analysis of CD44 expression in the proximal jejunum and distal ileum after 1 and 2 weeks.
Main Results:
- Obstructive jaundice for 1 week significantly increased CD44 expression in both jejunum and ileum.
- After 2 weeks, CD44 expression was significantly decreased in both segments compared to controls.
- Oral glutamine administration in the 2-week group restored jejunal CD44 expression and increased ileal expression above control levels.
Conclusions:
- Obstructive jaundice causes a biphasic alteration in intestinal CD44 expression, initially upregulating then downregulating it.
- Daily oral glutamine is effective in restoring CD44 expression in the small intestine of rats with prolonged obstructive jaundice.