The inflammation in the gut after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

Background. Gastrointestinal dysfunction could be frequently observed in the patients suffering from SAH. This study test the hypothesis that experimental SAH could induce histopathological changes an inflammatory response associating with NF-kappa B activation pathway in the gut. Materials and methods. A total of 17 rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: control group (n = 8) and SAH group (n = 9). In the SAH group, the animals were subjected to experimental SAH according to the "two-hemorrhage" method. The histopathological study was performed to detect the intestinal mucosal morphological changes and immunohistochemical study was used to detect the TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 expressions. NF-kappa B binding activity was measured using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Results. It was demonstrated that some damage changes and leukocytes infiltration occurred in the intestinal mucosa after SAH. More positive cells for TNF-a and ICAM-1 were observed in the SAH group. The NF-kappa B binding activity in the intestines was significantly increased in the SAH group (P < 0.01). Conclusions. The results of the present study suggest that SAH in the rabbits could induce NF-kappa B and proinflammatory cytokines activation in the intestine, which is associated with morphological changes. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.