THE EFFECT OF GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (G-CSF) ON BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION IN THE SPLENECTOMIZED RAT

Background/Aims: We created a study group in order to investigate the effects of splenectomy and filgrastim. Filgrastin, is an immunomodulat or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), that affects bacteri al translocation. Materials and Methods: We created 3 study groups wit h 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats; the first group included sham splenecto my, the second group was splenectomy, and the third group was splenect omy+filgrastim group. Results: The mean bacterial colony count of the cecum were 2.5x10(9) in group 1, 1.2x10(10) in group 2 and 3.5x10(9) i n group 3. The differences between these groups were accepted as stati stically significant. The mean. counts of the terminal ileum were 1.1x 10(9) in. group 1, 5.5x10(10) in. group 2 and 2.5x10(10) in group 3. T he p values of group 1-2 were 0.036 (statistically significant) and 0. 123 in. groups 2-3) were not statistically significant. The mean. coun ts of the Liver were 0.2x10(4), 1x10(10) and 3.4x10(5), respectively. In comparison of the groups the p values of the first and last 2 group s were found to be 0.047 (statistically significant). The mean counts of the mesenteric lymph node were 0.7x10(3), 1x10(10) and 0.93x10(6) r espectively. The p values were 0.343 for the first and the last 2 grou ps both. As they were above 0.05, they were not statistically signific ant. The degrees of Liver Kupffer cell hyperplasia were (+) 40%, (++) 50% and (+++) 10% (group 1), (+) 10%, (++) 40% and (+++) 50% (group 2) , (++) 60% and (+++) 40% (group 3) (p=0.0039). The rates of the absenc e of pathology in mesenteric lymph nodes were 70% (group 1), 90% (grou p 2) and 100% (group 3) (p=0.049). These findings were statistically s ignificant. Conclusions: We found that splenectomy has activated the w hole predisposing factors of bacterial translocation and created the l atter itself: In addition, we Showed that filgrastim, a recently wides pread used G-CSF, decreases bacterial translocation significantly.