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The effect of melatonin on endotoxemia-induced intestinal apoptosis and oxidative stress in infant rats

  • Pediatric Experimental
  • Published:
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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the effect of melatonin on the intestinal apoptosis along with oxidative damage in endotoxemic infant rats.

Design and setting

Prospective animal study in a university-based experimental research laboratory.

Subjects and interventions

Wistar albino 7-day-old rat pups (n = 21). The animals were randomized into three experimental groups: (1) controls; (2) endotoxemia; (3) endotoxemia treated with melatonin (10 mg/kg). Endotoxemia was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (Escherichia coli serotype 0111:B4; 3 mg/kg).

Measurements and results

Four hours after LPS injection, the antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were determined. Intestinal apoptosis was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated fluorescein-dUTP nick end labeling. The administration of melatonin into endotoxemic rats prevented the increase in the TBARS levels, and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and attenuated apoptotic cell death in both intestinal epithelium and lamina propria.

Conclusions

Melatonin diminished the intestinal oxidative stress and apoptotic damage induced by endotoxemia in infant rats.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Dokuz Eylul University Research Foundation, grant no 02.KBSAG.059.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti, 35340, Izmir, Turkey

    Durgul Ozdemir & Hasan Ozkan

  2. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti, 35340, Izmir, Turkey

    Nazan Uysal, Sevil Gonenc, Osman Acikgoz & Ilkay Aksu

  3. Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti, 35340, Izmir, Turkey

    Kazim Tugyan

Authors
  1. Durgul Ozdemir
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  2. Nazan Uysal
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  3. Kazim Tugyan
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  4. Sevil Gonenc
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  5. Osman Acikgoz
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  6. Ilkay Aksu
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  7. Hasan Ozkan
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Correspondence to Hasan Ozkan.

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Ozdemir, D., Uysal, N., Tugyan, K. et al. The effect of melatonin on endotoxemia-induced intestinal apoptosis and oxidative stress in infant rats. Intensive Care Med 33, 511–516 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-006-0492-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-006-0492-z

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