Objective: To observe the effects of Changtong oral liquid (CTOL) on the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1), interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 in rats with postoperative intestinal adhesions.
Methods: Fifty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 6 equal groups, namely the normal control, model, Simo decoction (SMD) groups and three CTOL groups of low, moderate, and high doses, respectively. Intestinal adhesion was induced in the rats of the groups other than the normal control group. The rats in the normal control and model groups received intragastric administration of distilled water (10 ml/kg), and those in the 4 treatment groups had SMD (10 ml/kg) and CTOL (at 4.3, 8.6 and 17.2 g/kg for low, moderate, and high dose groups, respectively). On day 7 after surgery, blood samples were obtained from the rats for measurement of serum cytokine levels with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay followed by adhesion grading according to a 5-grade scale.
Results: CTOL evidently reduced the severity of postoperative adhesions and decreased the serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, TGF-beta(1) and IL-6. However, it had no significant impact on serum levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 in rats with postoperative adhesion.
Conclusion: Significant indices for postoperative adhesion assessment are established, which provides the experimental basis for evaluating clinical therapeutic effects of postoperative adhesions as well as for developing new therapeutic drugs.