ENDOTOXIN-MEDIATED INTESTINAL DAMAGE - PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CAPSAICININ THE RAT

Background: Endotoxin provokes the disruption of intestinal mucosal ar chitecture. To investigate whether afferent fibers of the enteric nerv ous system are involved in this damage, we have used capsaicin to indu ce a selective, long-lasting degeneration of these fibers in the rat. Methods: The rats were divided in two groups, receiving subcutaneously either capsaicin or its vehicle. After 10 days the mts from each grou p were injected with nonlethal closes of endotoxin or with saline. The next day all the animals were killed, and the jejunum and ascending c olon were collected for light and scanning electron microscopy analysi s; morphometric analysis of jejunal villus height was also performed. Results: The rats receiving endotoxin but not pretreated with capsaici n had severe morphologic alterations and a significant reduction in vi llus height. In contrast, the rats pretreated with capsaicin and then with endotoxin showed a preserved mucose with normal mean villus heigh t. Conclusions: Capsaicin pretreatment is able to prevent endotoxin-in duced damage of intestinal mucosal this result seems to indicate that afferent fibers of the enteric nervous system are involved in the path ogenesis of this damage.