The effects of dexmedetomidine on liver injury in rats with experimental sepsis: A histopathological and immunohistochemical study.

BACKGROUND

In the rat sepsis model, the protective effect of dexmedetomidine (Dex) in sepsis-induced tissue injuries by reducing inflammation is still unclear, and research is ongoing to determine whether Dex modulates sepsis-induced tissue injury. To investigate the effect of Dex on liver injury in sepsis rats histopathologically and immunohistochemically.

METHODS

In this study, sepsis was induced in rats by 10 ml/kg E. coli injection and the protective efficacy of Dex against liver damage was investigated with histopathological and immunohistochemical findings by intraperitoneal administration of 100 mcg/kg Dex.

RESULTS

In our results, the most striking and basic morphological changes in the liver tissues of sepsis group rats were neutrophil leukocyte infiltrations in and around the vessels. In Dex-treated groups, neutrophil leucocyte infiltrations were more prominent and marked dilatations were observed in the vessels. The fact that inflammatory reactions were more prominent in the Dex-treated groups was thought to be related to the increase in vascular permeability due to Dex's vasodilation effect.

CONCLUSION

according to the histopathological and immunohistochemical findings obtained in the present study, we conclude that Dex did not alleviate sepsis-induced liver inflammation in a rat sepsis model.