Urinary trypsin inhibitor treatment ameliorates acute lung and liver injury resulting from sepsis in a rat model

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of urinary trypsin inhibitor UTI on acute lung and liver injury in rat model induced by sepsis with infra-abdominal infection.

METHODS: This study was performed in the University of Wuhan, Wuhan, China in May 2007. Sepsis models were made by cecal ligation and puncture CLP in Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty rats were randomly divided into sham, CLP, CLP/UTI I 20u/g and CLP/UTI II 50u/g groups, with 10 rats in each. All of them were sacrificed 12 hours after CLP. The mean arterial pressure MAP, heart rate HR, the wet-to-dry lung weight ratio W/D was measured and venous blood was collected for assaying tumor necrosis factor-α TNF-α, interleukin-10 IL-10, alanine aminotransferase ALT, aspartate aminotransferase AST and lactic acid. Superoxide dismutase SOD, malondialdehyde MDA and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase iNOS mRNA in lung and hepatic tissues were examined.

RESULTS: Compared with the CLP group, MAP and HR in 50u/g UTI treated rats was stable p<0.01. Marked elevation levels of W/D ratio were lowered after administration of 50u/g UTI p<0.01. Treatment with 50u/g UTI prevented marked elevation in MDA, ALT, AST, TNF-&#945;, lactic acid levels, expression of iNOS mRNA, and elevated IL-10 and SOD activity p<0.01.

CONCLUSION: Urinary trypsin inhibitor has a protective effect against sepsis. Its action mechanisms are probably involved in the inhibition of inflammatory factor production and suppression of lipid peroxidation and iNOS mRNA expression.