Dynamics of bacterial translocation in acute liver injury induced by D-galactosamine in rat

Bacterial translocation may play a role in acute liver injuries as high rates of infectious and septic complications are observed in these clinical conditions. Increased passage of endotoxin and translocating bacteria not only potentiates the extent of liver injury, but may also play a determining role in its final outcome. In this paper the incidence of bacteria] translocation in acute liver injury in rats is evaluated with other important pathological changes observed at different time points after liver injury induced by intraperitoneal administration of D-galactosamine. The bacterial translocation to the blood and other extraintestinal sites starts 3 h after induction of liver injury and is not found to be related to light microscopic changes in the liver or ileal or cecal mucosa, detectable levels of endotoxin in the portal blood, or DNA changes in the small and large intestinal mucosa, but corresponds to the release of liver enzymes in the serum.