title: Effects of immunonutrition on intestinal mucosal apoptosis, mucosal atrophy, and bacterial translocation in head injured rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunonutrition has been demonstrated to modulate gut function, reduce infectious complications, hospital stay, and ventilator days in the critical patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the effect of immunonutrition for the prevention of intestinal mucosal atrophy, apoptosis, and bacterial translocation in head injured rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty five rats were randomised into 5 groups. Following moderate closed head injury, in Group 1; Standard Enteral Nutrition, Group 2; Immunonutrition, Group 3; TPN, Group 4; pe. saline were applied. Group 5 was control group (chow-fed). The rats were sacrificed and segments of the ileum were removed for histologic examination, and samples of tissues taken for microbiologic evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both intestinal apoptosis and mucosal atrophy were significantly lower in Group 2 and Group 5 (p<0.008). Bacterial translocation was significantly lower in Group 2 than Group 1 (p<0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The enteral immunonutrition prevents intestinal barrier function in brain injured rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Black Sea Technical University, Farabi Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey. ulusoyktu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hulya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulusoy
authors.forename: Haydar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Usul
authors.forename: Sevim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaklikkaya
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cobanoglu
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akyol
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001284:Atrophy; D018988:Bacterial Translocation; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley