Effect of melatonin on healing of colonic anastomosis in a rat model of peritonitis.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study is to determine the effect of melatonin on intestinal anastomosis in the presence of peritonitis.


METHODS
32 Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups (n = 8): A (sham), B (control), C (melatonin 5 mg/kg), and D (melatonin 10 mg/kg). In group A, only cecal dissection was carried out. In the other groups, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) followed cecal dissection in order to induce bacterial peritonitis. 24 h after the previous operation, cecal resection and ileocolic anastomosis were performed in the rats of all groups. In group C (5 mg/kg) and group D (10 mg/kg), melatonin was injected for 5 consecutive days starting after CLP. At the 48th hour of the CLP procedure, blood was drawn via the tail vein for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) analysis, and on the 4th day of the experiment relaparotomy was carried out for bursting pressure (BP) measurements. The intestinal tissue containing the anastomotic line was then snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degrees C for determination of tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH).


RESULTS
The tissue MDA level, blood TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels of group B were significantly higher than in the other groups, whereas the BP results and GSH levels of group B were found to be significantly lower than in the other groups. The results of groups C and D are statistically different from those of group B. When we compared the results of groups C and D, we found significantly higher results in terms of BP and GSH levels in group D and also significantly lower results in terms of MDA, blood TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels in group D.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this experiment suggest that melatonin has a dose-independent positive effect on wound healing of colonic anastomosis.
Ozen
I O
IO
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. onurozen@gazi.edu.tr
Ekingen
G
G
Taşlipinar
M Y
MY
Bukan
N
N
Demiroğullari
B
B
Karabulut
R
R
Sönmez
K
K
Başaklar
A C
AC
Kale
N
N
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
D000975:Antioxidants; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005978:Glutathione; D008550:Melatonin