Objective: To observe the phasic variations in concentrations of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and to explore their potential roles in the occurrence and development process of multiple organ dysfunction.
Methods: Fire-arm induced aspiration lung injury model was replicated. The following parameters were observed: wet/dry weight ratio of rat's lungs, contents of albumin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-4 in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), contents of alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), and MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB).
Results: The wet/dry weight ratio of rat's lungs and contents of albumin and LDH in BALF increased with the passage of time. The concentration of TNF-alpha increased immediately after injury and reached the peak value at 2 hours. The concentration of IL-6 increased obviously 4 hours after injury, and maintained a high level from 4 hours to 24 hours. The concentration of IL-4 decreased from 6 hours to 8 hours after injury. The contents of ALT, AST, BUN, SCr and CK-MB increased continually after injury.
Conclusion: Cytokines are the direct mediators for multiple organ failure (MOF), and MOF is triggered by TNF-alpha and a cascade of cytokine release, with a prolonged high-expression of IL-6. The loss of control of IL-4 aggravates the development of MOF.