title: Role of corticotrophin releasing hormone in cerebral infarction-related gastrointestinal barrier dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) is believed to mediate stress-induced behaviors, implying a broader, integrative role for the hormone in the psychological stress response, and studies on CRH in physical stress are few. This study was undertaken to investigate whether CRH plays an important role in cerebral infarction-related gastrointestinal barrier dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a pseudo-operation group (group C, n=10), a cerebral infarction group (group I, n=10), and a cerebral infarction + ic α-helical-CRH (9-41) group (group Aic, n=10). Urine samples were collected to determine the levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and sucrose. At 24 hours after establishment of the models, blood samples were taken to determine the activity of diamine oxidase (DAO) and the concentration of D-lactic acid (D-lac). The stomach was taken to determine gastric Guth score, and the hypothalamus was also taken to determine tissue CRH protein expression using Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hypothalamus CRH protein, the indicators of stress, the plasma DAO activity and plasma D-lac, urine sucrose exertion and gastric Guth score in group I were higher than those in groups Aic and C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After cerebral infarction, CRH in the hypothalamus was increased, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system were activated, gastrointestinal permeability was increased, and gastrointestinal barrier function was destroyed. CRH receptor antagonist alleviated the gastrointestinal barrier function.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Ye-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Shi-Gong
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Xue-Zhong
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Department, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China (Liu YC, Wang Z, Yu XZ, Ma S); China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China (Qi ZW); Weston General Hospital, UK (Guo SG).
authors.forename: Sui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
keywords: Cerebral infarction; Corticotrophin releasing hormone; Gastrointestinal barrier; Stress