[The relationship between abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity and gut origin endotoxemia in a rat model of thermal injury].

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity and gut-derived endotoxemia in rats following burns. Animals were subjected to a 40% full-thickness scald injury, and randomly divided into control and selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) treated groups. It was found that thermal injury resulted in marked reductions in splenocyte proliferative response to concanavalin A or phytohemagglutinin, interleukin 2 (IL-2) production, and T helper/suppressor (Th/Ts) cells ratio. Prophylactic treatment with SDD significantly reduced the incidence of endotoxemia, prevented suppressive mitogenic response and inadequacy in IL-2 production (P < 0.05-0.01), but did not affect the abnormal ratio of Th/Ts in blood (P > 0.05). We conclude that bacteria/endotoxin translocation from the gastrointestinal tract appears to be involved in cellular immune dysfunction after thermal injury. Pretreatment with SDD might attenuate systemic immunosuppression by preventing translocation events.