Life
Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Reducing Intestinal Edema After Traumatic Liver Injury with Abdominal Packing: An Experimental Animal Study
By Yura Ko, Hye-Eun Byeon, Yo Huh and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Traumatic liver injury in severe trauma and temporary abdominal closure can lead to postoperative intestinal edema and inflammation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may mitigate these effects by modulating inflammatory pathways. This study investigated the effects of HBOT on mucosal preservation, with villus height and the villus-to-crypt (V/C) ratio as primary outcomes and mechanistic analyses of the NLRP3/caspase-1 pathway.
Methods
Twenty male Sprague–Dawley rats (aged 7 weeks, weighing 260–300 g) were randomly assigned to HBOT (n = 10) or non-HBOT groups (n = 10) and underwent midline laparotomy (3–5 cm) with 50% left lateral lobe liver resection. After 4 min, the liver was packed with 2 × 2 cm aseptic gauze and the abdomen was temporarily sutured. After 24 h, the small intestine was isolated and flushed with phosphate-buffered saline. The primary outcomes were villus height and the V/C ratio, measured in the proximal jejunum. Secondary outcomes included villus width, crypt depth, villous surface area, and the Dvorak histological injury grade. Additional analyses included NLRP3, AIM2, pro-caspase-1, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in bowel tissue (Western blot); plasma IL-1β and IL-18 (ELISA); and peripheral blood mononuclear cell catalase activity, cell viability (CCK-8), and LDH release.