PHOSPHOLIPIDS PREVENT ENTERIC BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION IN THE EARLY-STAGE OF EXPERIMENTAL ACUTE LIVER-FAILURE IN THE RAT

Background: Bacterial infections and bacteremia in acute liver failure may at least partly be attributed to translocation of enteric bacteri a. Attempts to prevent or treat such infections by the use of antibiot ics may instead result in overgrowth of surviving microbes. Methods: I n the present study, normal saline (1.5 ml/100 g body weight), phospha tidylcholine (1.5 ml/100 g body weight), and phosphatidylinositol (1.5 ml/100 g body weight) were orally administered by means of a gastric tube both 12, h and 30 min before operation. Effects of enteric admini stration of phospholipids on the prevention of enteric bacterial trans location, intestinal and mucosal mass, and enterocyte protein contents in acute liver failure induced by subtotal liver resection in the rat were evaluated. Results: The incidence of bacterial translocation inc reased significantly 2 and 4h after 90% hepatectomy as compared with s ham-operated animals. Enteric administration of phospholipids, however , significantly reduced the incidence of bacterial translocation after 90% hepatectomy. Phospholipid treatment prevented the postoperative d ecrease in intestinal mucosal mass and enterocyte protein content. Con clusions: Enteral administration of phospholipids thus seems to protec t against translocation of enteric bacteria and prevent against a decr ease in intestinal mucosal mass and enterocyte protein content after s ubtotal hepatectomy in the rat.