[Studies on changes of lysozyme activity during pre- and postoperative periods in alimentary tract surgery]

From the clinical and experimental studies, the following results were obtained. The serum lysozyme activity decreased postoperatively and returned to the preoperative level 2 weeks later. Postoperative changes of the activity reflected the state of surgical stress inflicted on the subjects, namely, the changes were parallel to the degree of the stress and their postoperative courses. The postoperative elevation of lysozyme activity in anastomosed colonic tissues or abdominal walls, in which the activity was not determined preoperatively was supposed to be a reasonable phenomenon and closely related to tissue regeneration or protection from bacterial infection. The mechanism of this local elevation should be due to migration from the peripheral blood and movement of the lysozyme-producing or -secreting cells to the wounds. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophage hyperfunctioned postoperatively. This might suggest lysozyme synthesis or secretion by peritoneal macrophage and participate in the protective action of the subjects. The postoperative serum lysozyme activity was maintained at the normal level by preoperative peroral administration of egg-white lysozyme preparation, therefore, the administration was thought to be very effective to the acceleration of protective action of the subjects on whom the surgical stress was imposed.