Characterization of the alteration of nutritional state in brain injury induced by fluid percussion in rats.
OBJECTIVE
Patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) undergo rapid weight loss with negative nitrogen balance and enhanced whole-body protein breakdown, with protein wasting causing morbidity and increased mortality. Many experimental models of TBI have been used to evaluate strategies to improve the outcome of these patients, but nutritional status has not been considered in experiments published to date, although this may have great importance and influence the results obtained with TBI models. This study characterized the hypercatabolism level and nutritional status of TBI rats.


METHODS
Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomized into three groups. Rats from the TBI group were anesthetized and fluid percussion was applied. The pair-fed (PF) group was healthy but was pair-fed to the TBI group. The ad libitum (AL) group was healthy and fed ad libitum. The study was performed over 10 days post-TBI.


RESULTS
TBI in rats was characterized by remarkable long-lasting anorexia, renal failure (creatinine clearance: AL 1.8+/-0.2 and PF 1.5+/-0.1 vs. TBI 0.9+/-0.1 l/24 hour), anorexia (appetite depressed throughout the study), increased myofibrillar proteolysis (3-methylhistidine/creatinine ratio (day 2: AL 36+/-1 and PF 38+/-2 vs. TBI 54+/-5 micromol/mmol), and intestinal atrophy (ileum: AL 29.3+/-2.5 and PF 28.7+/-1.1 vs. TBI 22.5+/-1.4 mg/cm). In addition, anorexia led to muscular atrophy and decreased nitrogen balance. The metabolic alterations described above can increase morbidity and mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
TBI by fluid percussion in rats is a model reproducing the metabolic and nutritional alterations observed in clinical practice and is suitable for further studies exploring the efficacy of optimized nutritional support.
Moinard
Christophe
C
Laboratoire de Biologie de la Nutrition EA 2498, Faculté de Pharmacie, 4 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France. christophe.moinard@univ-paris5.fr
Neveux
Nathalie
N
Royo
Nicolas
N
Genthon
Carine
C
Marchand-Verrecchia
Catherine
C
Plotkine
Michel
M
Cynober
Luc
L
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009929:Organ Size; D011312:Pressure; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
D011506:Proteins