[The protective effect of early insulin treatment on vascular endothelial cells in severely scalded rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the protective effect of insulin on vascular endothelial cells of rats at early post-burn stage,and its mechanism.


METHODS
Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: i. e, sham scald group (n = 7), scald group (n = 7) and treatment group (n = 7). The rats in the latter 2 groups were subjected to 30% TBSA full-thickness burns with 94 degrees C water, and the sham scald rats were treated with 37 degrees C water. Intra-peritoneal injection of 40 ml/kg isotonic saline solution and subcutaneous injection of 3 units/kg insulin were given to the rats in treatment group after being subjected to 30% TBSA full-thickness burns. Subcutaneous injection of equal amount of isotonic saline was given to the sham and burn groups. The changes in vascular endothelial cell structure were observed with electron microscopy at 24 post-scald hours(PSH). Meanwhile, the blood glucose contents, the serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) were determined with oxidase method and colorimetric method, respectively.


RESULTS
The injury of arterial endothelial cells in the treatment group was obviously alleviated compared with that in burn group. The blood glucose content in the treatment group (7.1 +/- 0.7 mmol/L) was significantly lower than that in scald group (8.2 +/- 1.0 mmol/L, P < 0.05), though it was much higher in both groups than that in sham scald group (4.9 +/- 0.8 mmol/L, P < 0.01) at 24 PBH. The serum content of NO, total NOS and cNOS in treatment group were obviously higher than those in scald group (P < 0.01), but there was no obvious difference in iNOS content between the two groups(P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Insulin exhibits protective effect on vascular endothelial cells in severely scalded rats at the early post-burn stage, and it is attributed to its promotion of cNOS level leading to NO production.
Zhang
Wan-fu
WF
Burn Center, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, P. R. China.
Gao
Feng
F
Wang
Yun-chuan
YC
Zhu
Xiong-xiang
XX
Tang
Chao-wu
CW
Wang
Yue-min
YM
Hu
Da-hai
DH
D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002056:Burns / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase