Antithrombin III Prevents Early Bacterial Translocation in Burn Injury.

We experimentally studied the effects of antithrombin III (AT III) on bacterial translocation (BT) and intestinal morphology in the early period of burn injury. For this aim, 30 male albino rats were used. A sham burn group (group 1, no. 10) was exposed to 21 °C water. A burn group (group 2, no. 10) and a burn + AT III group (group 3, no. 10) were exposed to 95 °C water for 10 sec, producing full-thickness burn in 30% of the total body surface area. In group 3 the rats received 250 U/kg AT III via the right jugular vein, 15 min before burn injury. One ml 0.9% NaCl was given as a placebo in group 1 and in two rats by the same route. All group 3 rats were sacrificed on day 2 post-burn using an overdose anaesthetic. Cultures of the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, blood, and caecal contents were performed. Histopathological examinations, including polymorph nuclear leukocyte (PNL) infiltration and villus morphologies, were qualitatively evaluated on the resected distal ileal segment. The incidence of BT was 1/10 (10%) in group 1, 7/10 (70%) in group 2, and 1/10 (10%) in group 3. A significant increase in BT incidence was observed in group 2 compared with groups 1 and 3 (p = 0.02), while a significant decrease in BT incidence was found in group 3 rats with AT III treatment. Although the PNL infiltration rate was reduced by AT III treatment, a significant decrease was not found compared with group 2 (50% and 90%, respectively). On the other hand, the villus degeneration rate was significantly reduced by AT III treatment compared with group 2 (30% and 90%, respectively). These results suggest that the incidence of BT was enhanced by the burn injury. AT III decreased the incidence of BT in the early period of burn injury. We conclude that AT III can be effectively used to protect from intestinal mucosal injury and to prevent bacterial translocation, especially in early post-burn period.