Effects of polyenylphosphatidylcholine on cytokines, nitrite/nitrate levels, antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation in rats with sepsis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of pretreatment with polyenylphosphatidylcholine (lecithin, PPC) on plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, total nitrite/nitrate (NOx), and tissue levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in septic rats.


METHODS
Prospective, randomized, controlled animal study.


METHODS
University laboratory.


METHODS
Forty-five Spraque-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: group C, sham-operated; group S, sepsis; and group P, sepsis pretreated with PPC.


METHODS
Rats were made septic by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Group P rats were treated with PPC (100 mg/day orally) for 10 days before sepsis. Twenty-four hours later CLP, plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-10 and plasma levels of NOx were measured. SOD and MDA were determined in liver, lung and heart homogenates.


RESULTS
All rats in group P survived during the 24-h observation time after CLP, whereas survival rate in group S was 66.7% (10/15; P<0.05). PPC significantly reduced plasma levels of TNF-alpha (P=0.006), IL-6 (P=0.007), IL-10 (P=0.016), NOx (P<0.001), and tissue levels of MDA (P<0.001) in group P with respect to in group S. Tissue levels of SOD significantly increased in group P when compared with group S (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that PPC pretreatment exerts cumulative effects in decreasing the levels of cytokines, NOx, and tissue MDA concentrations, with a concomitant increase in survival in septic rats. Lecithin therapy may be a useful adjuvant therapy in controlling of the excessive production of the inflammatory cytokines in patients with severe sepsis.


BACKGROUND
SIRS/sepsis, experimental studies.
Demirbilek
Semra
S
Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Medical School of Inönü University, 44315 Malatya, Turkey. sedemirbilek@inonu.edu.tr
Ersoy
Mehmet Ozcan
MO
Demirbilek
Savaş
S
Karaman
Abdurrahman
A
Akin
Melih
M
Bayraktar
Mehmet
M
Bayraktar
Nihayet
N
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D005217:Fat Emulsions, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
D000975:Antioxidants; D016207:Cytokines; D005217:Fat Emulsions, Intravenous; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; C005152:lipostabil