Prostaglandins E1 and E2 analogues ameliorate mucosal injury secondary to distal colonic obstruction

After colonic obstruction, increased intraluminal pressure may impair blood circulation and cause mucosal injury that sometimes progresses to perforation. This experimental study aims to evaluated effects of prostaglandin E (PGE) analogues in order to prevent mucosal injury secondary to distal colonic obstruction. This study was carried out on 40 male Wistar rats equally divided into four groups: group 1, control; group 2, colonic obstruction by ligation of the sigmoid colon; group 3, obstruction and administration of PGE1; group 4, obstruction and administration of PGE 2. Mucosal structural changes were assessed and scored by histopathological examination at 24 h postoperatively. The thickness of the mucosal layer of the cecal wall was measured as 179.3 and 122 microm (p <.001) in the control and obstruction alone group, respectively. Mucosal thickness was preserved by PGE1 (170 microm) and PGE2 (157.3 microm) administration. The mean damage score was 0.73 in the control and 3.3 (p <.001) in the obstruction alone group. This score was significantly lower in obstruction groups treated with both PGE1 and PGE2, 1.13 and 1.26 respectively (p <.001). Both PGE1 and PGE2 (PGE1 better than PGE2) ameliorate mucosal injury during distal colonic obstruction. We concluded that the administration of PGE analogues in case of mechanical obstruction of the left colon was beneficial for preserving the structure of the mucosal layer.