Effect of acute alcohol ingestion prior to burn injury on intestinal bacterial growth and barrier function

Michael J. Kavanaugh, Charles Clark, Masakatsu Goto, Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Richard L. Gamelli, Mohammed M. Sayeed, Mashkoor A. Choudhry*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that acute alcohol (EtOH) ingestion prior to burn injury enhances intestinal bacterial translocation. This study tested if increased intestinal bacterial translocation in alcohol and burn injured rats is due to an overgrowth in intestinal bacteria. We determined if the translocation was accompanied with alterations in intestinal permeability and immune cell population. Rats (225-250 g) were gavaged with alcohol to achieve a blood EtOH level in the range of 100 mg/dl prior to burn or sham injury (25% total body surface area). Two days after injury, we found that acute alcohol ingestions prior to burn injury results in a significant increase in bacterial counts in small intestine. The increase in intestinal bacterial counts accompanied a significant increase in intestinal permeability. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis revealed a substantial (p < 0.05) loss of both T cell and dendritic cells in intestine of alcohol and burn injured rats compared with intestine of rats receiving either burn or sham injury. Altogether, results presented in this manuscript suggest that increase in intestinal bacterial growth along with alterations in intestinal permeability and immune status contribute to the increase in bacterial translocation observed in alcohol and burn injured rats.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)290-296
Number of pages7
JournalBurns
Volume31
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bacterial translocation
  • Dendritic cell
  • Intestinal permeability
  • T cell
  • Thermal injury

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