title: Hypertonic saline attenuates end-organ damage in an experimental model of acute pancreatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypertonic saline (HTS) has been noted previously to reduce neutrophil activation. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of hypertonic resuscitation on the development of end-organ damage in an animal model of pancreatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pancreatitis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of 20 per cent L-arginine. Animals were randomized into four groups (each n = 8): controls; pancreatitis without intervention; pancreatitis plus intravenous resuscitation with normal saline (0.9 per cent sodium chloride 2 ml/kg) at 24 and 48 h; or HTS (7.5 per cent sodium chloride 2 ml/kg) at these time points. Pulmonary endothelial leakage was assessed by measurement of lung wet : dry ratios, bronchoalveolar lavage protein and myeloperoxidase activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Animals that received HTS showed less pancreatic damage than those resuscitated with normal saline (1.0 versus 3.0; P = 0.04). Lung injury scores were also significantly diminished in the HTS group (1.0 versus 3.5; P = 0.03). Pulmonary neutrophil sequestration (myeloperoxidase activity 1.80 units/g) and increased endothelial permeability (bronchoalveolar lavage protein content 1287 microgram/ml) were evident in animals resuscitated with normal saline compared with HTS (1.22 units/g and 277 microgram/ml respectively; P < 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HTS resuscitation results in a significant attenuation of end-organ injury following a systemic inflammatory response to severe pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Academic Surgery and Pathology, Cork University Hospital and National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sookhai
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Kirwan
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Redmond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000737:chemistry; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D001120:Arginine