title: The role of endotoxin in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal damage in cirrhotic rats with portal hypertensive gastropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the role and the mechanism of endotoxin in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosa during portal vein hypertension gastrography (PHG) in the rats with cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rat model for PHG was established by injection of tetrachloride. The animals were injected with endotoxin i.p. at 3 mg/kg and endotoxin antagonist BPI21 i.v. at 2.0 mg/kg. The plasma level of endotoxin as well as the gastric mucosal level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was measured with azobenzene and ELISA respectively. Furthermore, the pathological changes of the gastric mucosa were studied with HE stainning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In rats with PHG, increased endotoxin and TNF-α as well as the gastric pathological lesion were observed. Injection of endotoxin remarkably increased plasma level of endotoxin as well as the gastric mucosal level of tumor necrosis TNF-α and induced more serious gastric lesion. Animals injected with endotoxin antagonist BPI21 showed improved gastric mucosal lesion, accompanied by the declining TNF-α level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggestes that endotoxin may play a pathogenetic role in PHG by inducing the expression of TNF-α.
authors.affiliation: Hainan Provincial People's Hospital, Haikou 570311, China. lancheng71@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Xiaoning
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Baili
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Keli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications*; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha