Endotoxin preconditioning in pancreatic ischemia/reperfusion injury.
OBJECTIVE
Prospective organ donors are exposed to various stress types. The effect of endotoxin pretreatment (ETX) on pancreatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is unclear. We investigated, using a rat model of pancreatic IRI of an in situ isolated pancreatic tail segment, the effect of ETX on postischemic microcirculation and organ damage.


METHODS
Twenty-four hours before pancreatic dissection, either intraperitoneal application of ETX (1 mg/kg in 0.9% NaCl) or saline only (control) was performed. Two-hour normothermic ischemia of the pancreatic tail was induced by clamping the splenic vessels and was followed by a reperfusion period of 2 hours. Microcirculatory parameters were measured by intravital epifluorescence microscopy [functional capillary density (FCD), adherent leukocytes (ALs), and histology]. The presented data represent the mean +/- SEM/SD as appropriate.


RESULTS
ETX pretreatment caused a significantly greater decrease in FCD (497 +/- 6 cm/cm2 baseline versus 326 +/- 15 cm/cm2 2 hours of reperfusion) compared with controls (498 +/- 8 versus 258 +/- 15 cm/cm2) 2 hours after reperfusion (P < 0.01). Two hours after reperfusion, ALs were significantly decreased in ETX animals compared with controls (ETX: 141 +/- 37 versus 273 +/- 36 cells/mm2, P < 0.05). Histologic damage was less in ETX (6.4 score points +/- 0.32 versus 8.8 +/- 0.33 control, P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
ETX preconditioning decreases microcirculatory deterioration caused by IRI by means of less loss of nutritive tissue perfusion, decrease in ALs, and less histologic damage. This indicates a protective effect of ETX preconditioning in pancreatic IRI.
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006339:Heart Rate; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects; D023421:Models, Animal; D010179:Pancreas / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors
D004731:Endotoxins