Kupffer cell ablation improves hepatic microcirculation after trauma and sepsis.

Background: Macrophages undergo maladaptive alterations after trauma. In this study, we assessed the role of Kupffer cells in hepatic microcirculatory response to endothelin-1 (ET-1) after femur fracture (FFx) and cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g) underwent sham, FFx, CLP, or FFx + CLP.

Kupffer cell ablation attenuates cyclooxygenase-2 expression after trauma and sepsis.

Background: Prostaglandins, synthesized by cyclooxygenase (COX), play an important role in the pathophysiology of inflammation. Severe injuries result in immunosuppression, mediated, in part, by maladaptive changes in macrophages. Herein, we assessed Kupffer cell-mediated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression on liver function and damage after trauma and sepsis.