[Effects of rhubarb on intestinal flora and bacterial translocation in rats with sepsis]

To investigate the effects of rhubarb on intestinal flora and bacterial translocation in septic rats.

One hundred and four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal control group, burn group, sepsis group, and sepsis with rhubarb treatment group. All the animals except those in the normal control group were given 30% total body surface area (TBSA) III degree burn on their back followed by endotoxin challenge intraperitoneally in a dose of 20 mg/kg 24 hours after the burn injury. The animals were treated with intraperitoneal injection of ceftriaxone 24 hours after the second hit in various groups in a dose of 60 mg/kg, twice a day with a interval of 12 hours. Rhubarb was also given orally with a dose of 50 mg/kg, twice a day with an interval of 12 hours, at the same time. On 1, 3 and 9 days after treatment, intestinal bacilli in colon and the incidence of bacterial translocation in content of large intestine, liver, lung, mesenteric lymph node and blood in each group were determined.

Neither intestinal bacilli in colon nor bacterial translocation showed significant change after the burn injury [(5.86+/-0.62) log cfu/g vs. (5.52+/-0.41) log cfu/g]. The second hit with endotoxin obviously increased the number of intestinal bacilli in colon [(8.96+/-0.73) log cfu/g, P<0.01], in which Colibacillus remain the predominant flora. At the same time, the incidence of Colibacillus translocation was also very high. The antibiotic ceftriaxone markedly reduced the number of Colibacillus on the 3rd and 9th day after the therapy [(4.43+/-0.64) log cfu/g, (5.82+/-0.99) log cfu/g, both P<0.01]. However, the number of some opportunistic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Baumanii, significantly increased, and they substituted Colibacillus to become the predominant flora in gut. Furthermore, the species of bacterial translocation also switched to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Baumanii from Colibacillus. Rhubarb could prevent the loss of enteric bacilli in gut [(8.24+/-1.32) log cfu/g]. Moreover, it also extenuated the effects of antibiotics in diminishing commensal flore in gut. Lastly, the rhubarb could inhibit bacterial translocation at the early stage of sepsis (incidence of translocation on 1 th day of the therapy: 40.62% vs. 6.25%, P<0.05).

Rhubarb can protect the gut microbiogeocoenosis, mitigate the bactericidal effect on antibiotics on commensal flora, and inhibit bacterial translocation at the early stage of sepsis.