[Microcirculatory disturbances after surgical insults--important role of inflammatory cytokines]

Abstract

Microcirculatory disturbances in the gastric mucosa was investigated in rats after thermal injury using intravital video microscopy. Mucosal blood flow decreased significantly 5 hrs after thermal injury and increased neutrophil-endothelial cell interaction was observed at the same time. Zymosan stimulated-free radical production from peripheral blood was also increased and acute gastric mucosal lesion (AGML) appeared 5 hrs after thermal injury. These data suggest that neutrophil-endothelial cell interaction and increased free radical production induce AGML formation and that microcirculatory disturbance is one of the main reasons for organ failure after surgical insults. The role of inflammatory cytokines in hepatic microcirculatory disturbance was also studied in endotoxin-injected rats using IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) or TNF binding protein (TNFbp). Pretreatment with IL-1Ra or TNFbp significantly improved hepatic microcirculatory disturbance and reduced both the number of leukocytes adhered to the sinusoidal wall and the number of injured cells as well. These data suggest that inflammatory cytokines play a crucial role in microcirculatory disturbance after surgical insults by promoting neutrophil-endothelial cell interaction and systemic excessive inflammation.