Effect of povidone-iodine lavage on peritoneal defence mechanisms in rats
O Abbasoglu1, I Sayek, G Hasçelik
1Department of Surgery, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective:
To assess the effect of povidone iodine lavage on peritoneal defence mechanisms in rats.
Design:
Randomised study.
Material:
90 Wistar albino rats.
Intervention:
Rats were divided in three groups of 30. All rats underwent midline laparotomy, and 20 rats in each group had peritoneal lavage with 20 ml 1% povidone iodine, samples being taken before lavage in 10 and after lavage in 10.
Main Outcome Measures:
Effect of povidone-iodine lavage compared with laparotomy alone on bactericidal activity of peritoneal fluid (group 1); chemotactic indices of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) (group 2); and total cell counts, cell types, and peritoneal phagocytic activity (group 3).
Results:
Lavage with povidone-iodine increased the total peritoneal cell count/washing from 10.4 x 10(6) to 12.4 x 10(6) (p < 0.005), peritoneal bactericidal activity from 69.2% to 92.7% (p < 0.05), and peritoneal phagocytic activity from 58.9% to 73.7% (p < 0.05) at the end of four hours. Chemotactic indices of peritoneal PMNL before and after lavage were 1.90 and 1.89, respectively. Among the cells in the peritoneal fluid, the proportion of PMNL increased, whereas those of macrophages, lymphocytes, and mast cells decreased (p < 0.005).
Conclusions:
These results differ from those that we found previously after saline lavage. Lavage with 1% povidone-iodine does not increase the detrimental effect of saline lavage; on the contrary, it may even enhance peritoneal defence mechanisms. Any detrimental effects of povidone-iodine lavage should be attributed to systemic rather than local toxicity.
