Liver bacterial clearance following hepatic artery ligation and portacaval shunt

The reticuloendothelial system (RES) plays an important role in removing bacteria, endotoxins, and immune complexes from the circulation. Hepatic phagocytosis accounts for more than 80% of RES function. The dual hepatic blood supply (hepatic artery/portal vein) may be altered by pathologic states and surgical procedures. This study evaluates and compares the effect of hepatic artery ligation and portacaval shunt on hepatic trapping of viable Escherichia coli. Thirty rats were placed in three groups: Group I was composed of sham operated controls; Group II underwent end-to-side portacaval shunt (PCS); and in Group III, hepatic artery ligation (HAL) was performed. At 2 weeks following the operation 10(9) 35S-radiolabeled viable E. coli were injected via the tail vein. At 10 min, bacterial distribution in the different organs was determined. Tissue samples were processed for liquid scintillation counting. The final distribution of bacteria was calculated from the input specific activity (dpm/bacteria) and expressed as the mean percentage of injected viable E. coli per gram of tissue and per organ weight. There was a significant decrease of bacterial trapping by the liver in rats following PCS (Group II), 45.0 +/- 10.4% vs controls 77.1 +/- 3.73% (P less than 0.005). This was partially compensated for by a significant increase of bacterial trapping by the lung. The decreased clearance in PCS rats is due to a reduction in liver mass compared to that in controls. Bacterial localization in HAL (Group III) rats was similar to that in controls. These data show that PCS decreases hepatic clearance and increases pulmonary localization of viable E. coli. This phagocytic dysfunction may contribute to increased susceptibility to infection following portacaval shunt.