Temporal profile of intestinal tissue expression of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein in a rat model of necrotizing enterocolitis

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Vol. 71; no. 7; pp. 412 - 419
• Main Authors: Simões, Ana Leda Bertoncini, Figueira, Rebeca Lopes, Gonçalves, Frances Lilian Lanhellas, Mitidiero, Luís Felipe Tsuyoshi, Silva, Orlando Castro e, Peiró, José Luis, Sbragia, Lourenço
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Elsevier España, S.L.U 01.07.2016; Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina / USP; Elsevier España
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Basic Research; Biomarkers - analysis; Blotting, Western; Body Weight; Disease Models, Animal; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing - metabolism; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing - pathology; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins - analysis; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Hypoxia - pathology; I-FABP; Ileum - blood supply; Ileum - pathology; Immunohistochemistry; Intestinal Injury; Ischemia; Ischemia - pathology; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Necrotizing Enterocolitis; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reference Values; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; Necrotizing Enterocolitis; Rats; I-FABP; Ischemia; Intestinal Injury
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2016(07)10

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a severe multifactorial intestinal disorder that primarily affects preterm newborns, causing 20-40% mortality and morbidity. Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein has been reported to be a biomarker for the detection of intestinal injuries. Our aim was to assess intestinal tissue injury and the molecular expression of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein over time in a necrotizing enterocolitis model. A total of 144 Newborn rats were divided into two groups: 1) Control, which received breastfeeding (n=72) and 2) Necrotizing Enterocolitis, which received formula feeding and underwent hypoxia and hypothermia (n=72). A total of six time points of ischemia (2 times a day for 3 days; 12 pups for each time point) were examined. Samples were collected for analysis of body weight, morphological and histological characteristics, intestinal weight, intestinal weight/body weight ratio, injury grade, and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein levels. Body and intestinal weights were lower in the Necrotizing Enterocolitis group than in the Control group (p<0.005 and p<0.0005, respectively). The intestinal weight/body weight ratio was higher in the Necrotizing Enterocolitis group than in the Control group (p<0.005) only at the sixth ischemia time point. The Necrotizing Enterocolitis group displayed higher expression of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (p<0.0005) and showed greater tissue damage than the Control group. Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein was an efficient marker of ischemic injury to the intestine and a good correlation was demonstrated between the time of ischemic injury and the grade of intestinal injury.