Rn. Cooney et al., PREVENTION OF SKELETAL-MUSCLE CATABOLISM IN SEPSIS DOES NOT IMPAIR VISCERAL PROTEIN-METABOLISM, American journal of physiology: endocrinology and metabolism, 33(4), 1996, pp. 621-626
We investigated whether the preservation of gastrocnemius protein by i
nterleukin-l receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) during sepsis altered protei
n metabolism in visceral tissues. Sepsis was induced by creation of an
abdominal abscess followed by infusion of saline or IL-1ra. Five days
later, the tissue protein content and rate of protein synthesis were
measured. IL-1ra did not significantly alter hepatic protein metabolis
m in septic or control animals. In kidney, the protein content and rat
e of protein synthesis were both decreased by sepsis and significantly
ameliorated by the infusion of IL-1ra. Sepsis decreased the rate of p
rotein synthesis in the small intestine. IL-1ra increased intestinal p
rotein synthesis in both control and septic animals; however, the effe
cts were localized to the seromuscular layer. The preservation of musc
le protein by IL-1ra in sepsis did not adversely affect protein synthe
sis in any of the visceral tissues examined. IL-1 appears to mediate t
he sepsis-induced changes in protein synthesis in kidney and small int
estine but not in liver or spleen. Protein synthesis in each visceral
organ responds differently to the septic insult and modulation of IL-1
bioactivity.