Intestinal Microbiota and Innate Immunity-Related Gene Alteration in Cirrhotic Rats with Liver Transplantation

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 43; no. 10; pp. 3973 - 3979
• Main Authors: Xie, Y.R, Liu, S.L, Liu, X, Luo, Z.B, Zhu, B, Li, Z.F, Li, L.J, He, Y, Jiang, L, Li, H, Ruan, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.12.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial Translocation; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon Tetrachloride; Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; Endotoxins - blood; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Gene Expression Regulation; Ileum - immunology; Ileum - microbiology; Immunity, Innate - genetics; Intestines - microbiology; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - chemically induced; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - genetics; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - immunology; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - microbiology; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - surgery; Liver Transplantation; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Medical sciences; Mucin-2 - genetics; Mucin-3 - genetics; Other diseases. Semiology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Time Factors; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Toll-Like Receptor 2 - genetics; Toll-Like Receptor 4 - genetics; Rat; Digestive system; Liver; Rodentia; Gut; Alteration; Hepatic disease; Natural immunity; Microflora; Homotransplantation; Medicine; Cirrhosis; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Treatment; Gene; Surgery; Animal; Digestive diseases; Graft; Genetics; Liver transplantation
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2011.08.113

Abstract Background The present study investigated the alteration of intestinal microbiota, innate immunity-related genes, and bacterial translocation in rats with cirrhosis and liver transplantation. Methods Specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups: (1) normal controls (N); (2) liver cirrhosis (LC); (3) normal control groups with liver transplantation (LTN); and (4) liver cirrhosis with liver transplantation (LTC). We examined plasma endotoxin, bacterial tacslocation, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) profile of intestinal mucosa-associated bacteria, abundance of key bacterial populations, and expression of innate immunity-related gene. Results The LTC and LC group, showed higher endotoxin levels (1.08 ± 0.73 EU/mL and 0.74 ± 0.70 EU/mL, respectively) than the N group (0.27 ± 0.13 EU/mL; P < .05). the incidence of bacterial translocation (BT) to liver and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and the number of total bacteria were increased significantly in the LTC and LC groups compared with the N group ( P < .05). The counts of Lactobacilli and Bacteroides were lower, whereas Enterobacteria were higher in the LC than the N group ( P < .05). Mucins (MUC2, MUC3) and Toll-like receptors (TLR2, TLR4) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were significantly higher in the LC and LTC groups than the N group ( P < .05). The marked difference between the groups in the overall structure of the bacterial community was also generated by DGGE profiles. Conclusion Liver cirrhosis disturbs intestinal microbiota and innate immunity-related genes, which contributes to endotoxemia and bacterial translocation. These had not completely recovered in cirrhotic rats until 1 month after orthotopic liver transplantation.