[Experimental study on pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced gut origin infection]

It has been documented that endotoxin could induce gut origin infection. Consequently, experiments were performed to correlate endotoxin-induced gut origin infection with changes in intestinal mucosal structure and xanthine dehydrogenase and oxidase activity. Bacteria infection from the intestines to extraintestinal organs in 70% of the mice receiving endotoxin. Endotoxin injured primarily the ileal and cecal mucosa and increased ileal and hepatic xanthine dehydrogenase and cecal oxidase activities (P less than 0.05). These results suggest that xanthine oxidase-induced mucosal damage plays a role in endotoxin-induced gut origin infection.