Changes of gut flora and endotoxin in rats with D-galactosamine-induced acute liver failure.

AIM: To investigate the changes of gut microflora and endotoxin levels in rats with acute liver failure (ALF) induced by D-galactosamine (GalN). METHODS: Flora and endotoxin levels in the jejunum, ileum and colon in normal rats (group A) and rats with GalN -induced ALF were determined at 24 h (group B) or 48 h (group C) after GalN injection, as well as the endotoxin level in portal venous blood (PVB) and right ventricle blood (RVB) were determined by chromogenic limulus amoebocyte assay. RESULTS: Intestinal (jejunum, ileum, colon) lactobacillus count was statistically reduced in group B compared with those in group A (3.4+/-0.3 vs 4.9+/-0.3, 6.1+/-0.4 vs 8.0+/-0.3, 8.1+/-0.2 vs 9.3+/-0.2, P<0.001, P<0.001 and P<0.001 respectively) and recovered partially in the group C compared with those in the group B, whereas the count of Enterobacteriaceae in the jejunum, ileum and colon in group B was increased markedly compared with those in the group A (5.1+/-0.3 vs 3.6+/-0.2, 6.9+/-0.5 vs 5.3+/-0.3, 8.7+/-0.2 vs 7.6+/-0.1, P<0.001, P<0.05 and P<0.05 respectively) and restored partially in the group C compared with those in the group B. The endotoxin level in ileum was increased in the group B compared with those in the group A (111.3+/-22.8 vs 51.5+/-8.9, P<0.05). In addition, the endotoxin level in PVB was obviously increased in group B compared with that in the group A (76.8+/-9.1 vs 40.6+/-7.3, P<0.01) and reduced to the baseline at 48 h (group C). CONCLUSION: Severely disturbed gut flora in rats with GalN-induced acute liver failure plays an important role in the elevation of endotoxin level in PVB.

[Dynamic variability of intestinal flora and endotoxin in rat with fulminate hepatic failure].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dynamic variability of intestinal flora and endotoxins in rats with fulminate hepatic failure. METHODS: Establishing the fulminate hepatic failure models by intraperitoneal injection of Galactosamine. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: group A (n=10) were killed at the beginning of the experiment as control; while Group B (n=12) and C (n=18), the fulminate hepatic failure models, were killed 24 and 48 hours respectively after successful induction. Then, the contents of the jejunum, ileum and colon descendents were collected and a quantitative analysis was made about intestinal flora. Meanwhile, the concentrations of endotoxin in portal vein and right ventricle were determined and so were those in contents of ileums and colons. RESULTS: Our experiments showed that the livers of rats in group B were injured most seriously among three groups, and a minor recovery of hepatic function was observed in group C with the decrease of total bile acids (P< 0.05). Analysis on intestinal flora show: the intestinal enterobacteriacea increase and the lactobacillus decrease in group B (P< 0.01 in jejunum and ileum and P<0.05 in colon). The comparisons between group C and B showed that the enterobacteriacea in the former decreased in both jejunum and colon (P< 0.05) while the number of lactobacillus recovered in the jejunum of group C (P<0.05). Quantitative analysis on endotoxins showed that the ileum endotoxin increased in group B (P< 0.05) and in group C, endotoxins in ileum and colons also increased (vs. control, P<0.01); portal endotoxin in group B showed higher level than that in group A and C (P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: The alteration of intestinal flora was observed in fulminate hepatic failure rats. Abnormal intestinal flora might lead to incline of endotoxin in ileum, colon and portal vein, while the recovery of normal intestinal flora would decrease the level of portal endotoxin.