ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the potential and early effect of hypertonic saline resuscitation on T-lymphocyte subpopulations in rats with hemorrhagic shock.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A model of rat with severe hemorrhagic shock was established in 18 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The rats were randomly divided into Sham group, HTS group (hypertonic saline resuscitation group) and NS group (normal saline resuscitation group). Each group contained 6 rats. The CD4(+) and CD8(+) subpopulations of T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood were detected respectively before shock and after resuscitation by double antibody labelling and flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the early stage after hemorrhagic shock, fluid resuscitation and emergency treatment, the CD4(+) lymphocytes of peripheral blood in HTS and NS groups markedly increased. Small volume resuscitation with HTS also induced peripheral CD8(+) lymphocytes to a certain extent, whereas NS resuscitation showed no effect in this respect. Consequently, compared with Sham and HTS groups, CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio of peripheral blood in NS group was obviously increased, and showed statistically differences.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In this model of rat with severe hemorrhagic shock, small volume resuscitation with HTS is more effective than NS in reducing immunologic disorders and promoting a more balanced profile of T-lymphocyte subpopulations regulating network.</p>