Mild hypothermia prevents and cures systemic inflammatory response syndrome

HU Haofu, XIE Qilian, AN Huibo.

Intensive Care Unit, The Children's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China

 

Objective: To explore the inhibiting effect of mild hypothermia on systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), thereby to prevent the occurrence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).

Methods: Ninety-six mice were randomly divided into four groups: the normal control, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), mild hypothermia and temperature preservation. By using the radio-immunity technique, the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)in the 4 groups of mice were measured after 1,2 and 4 hours of injection with LPS into mice. Livers and lungs of the mice were collected 4 hours after the injection of LPS for testing the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in vascular endotheliocytes.

Results: The contents of TNF-α in mild hypothermia group after 1,2 and 4 hours of LPS injections [(2.0±0.3), (2.1±0.4) and (2.5±0.5) μg/L, respectively] were significantly lower than those in LPS group [(4.1±0.4), (4.1±0.6) and (3.3±0.5μg/L, respectively) (p<0.001).While there was no significant difference between LPS and temperature preservation groups after 1 and 2 hours of the LPS injections [(2.0±0.3) and (2.1±0.4) μg/L vs. (4.0±0.3) and (3.8±0.4) μg/L, respectively. P<0.01 and <0.05], but no difference after 4 hours [(2.5±0.5) vs. (2.6±0.5) μg/L, P>0.05]. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression of ICAM-1 surrounding the vascular endotheliocyte of the liver and lung was weakly positive in the mild hypothermia group, but strongly positive in the LPS group and temperature preservation group.

Conclusion:  Mild hypothermia revealed a function of inhibiting SIRS. It suggested that mild hypothermia may be a new method for preventing and curing SIRS.

Key words: Hypothermia, induced; Sepsis syndrome; Tumor necrosis factor; Intercellular adhesion molecule-1; Mice  

 
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