[A study of expression of Tcf-4 in the small intestine mucosa crypt during severe abdominal infection]

To explore the expression of T cell factor 4(Tcf-4) in the process of severe abdominal infection in rats.

Forty healthy adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (celiotomy only) and groups of 12, 24, 48 hours after establishment of abdominal infection. The latter groups included rats receiving cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to establish the severe abdominal infection. Each group consisted of 10 rats. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the number of Tcf-4-positive cells and expression of Tcf-4 mRNA in the crypts of the mucosa of the small intestine.

It showed that the expression of Tcf-4 in the mucosal crypts of the small intestine in control group was weak but the number of cells with positive Tcf-4 expression was increased in crypts of small intestinal mucosa 12 hours after CLP, reaching its peak level at 24 hours, and remained higher than control group at 48 hours (all P<0.01). The transcription level of Tcf-4 was associated with the stages of the severe abdominal infection. RT-PCR showed that Tcf-4 mRNA was upregulated rapidly 12 hours after CLP (0.21+/-0.01, P<0.01), and it reached peak level after 24 hours (0.28+/-0.02, P<0.01), decreased slowly but still obviously higher (0.20+/-0.01, P<0.05) than that of control group (0.19+/-0.01).

The expression of Tcf-4 is induced by severe abdominal infection. The results suggest that Tcf-4 might be related with the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cell during severe abdominal infection, and plays an important role in damage and repair of enteric mucosa.