American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. · Sep 2004
Mechanisms of polymicrobial sepsis-induced ileus.
Sepsis frequently occurs after hemorrhage, trauma, burn, or abdominal surgery and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in severely ill patients. We performed experiments to delineate intestinal molecular and functional motility consequences of polymicrobial sepsis in the clinically relevant cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis model. CLP was performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats. ⋯ Polymicrobial CLP sepsis induces a complex inflammatory response within the intestinal muscularis with the recruitment of leukocytes and elaboration of mediators that inhibit intestinal muscle function. Differences were elucidated between endotoxin and CLP models of sepsis, as well as a heterogeneous regional response of the gastrointestinal tract to CLP. Thus the intestine is not only a source of bacteremia but also an important target of bacterial products with major functional consequences to intestinal motility and the generation of cytokines, which participate in the development of multiple organ failure.