Prevention of bacterial translocation using glutamine and melatonin in small bowel ischemia and reperfusion in rats

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury of the intestine is a major problem in abdominal pathological condition and is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of the study is to determine whether glutamine and melatonin can prevent BT of small intestinal IR injury in rats.

Forty Wistar-albino rats with a weight of 200 to 250 g were used in the study. They were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 for each group): sham operated group (Group I), IR group (Group II), IR+ glutamine treatment group (Group III) and IR+ melatonin treatment group (Group IV). All animals were given 10(10) E. Coli by orogastric intubation 12 hours before sampling. Seventy-two hours after the first operation, mesenteric lymph node and blood samples were obtained and cultured Two cc blood samples were obtained for a Polymerase chain reaction study. A piece of terminal ileum was also sampled for histopathologic examination.

Mesenteric lymph node and blood cultures of all control animals were positive for microbiological growth, and polymerase chain reaction results were positive in seven of the eight rats. Histopathologically, edema, vasodilatation and inflammatory cell infiltration were found to be less in the other groups in comparison to the control group. The incidence of bacterial translocation was decreased in all treatment groups as compared to the control group.

Glutamine and Melatonin reduced the incidence of BT in intestinal I/R. rats. These results suggest that glutamine and melatonin would be clinically useful in the treatment of intestinal I/R injury.