Treatment and prophylaxis with sucralfate ameliorates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced intestinal injury in pup rats.

Background: Sucralfate is widely used as a cytoprotective agent in patients with peptic ulcer and other intestinal mucosal injury. The aim of this study is to investigate whether sucralfate has any effect on the prevention and treatment of hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced intestinal injury.

Material/methods: Four groups of 10 1-day-old rat pups were studied. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/O)-induced intestinal injury was created. Group 1 was subjected to H/O just after birth and sacrificed at the end of the third day (Treatment Control). Group 2 was subjected to H/O just after birth and treated with sucralfate for 3 days. They were sacrificed at the end of the third day (Treatment). Group 3 was subjected to H/O on the third day after birth and then sacrificed (Prophylaxis Control). Group 4 was treated with sucralfate for the first 3 days, then H/O was created. Just after H/O, the pups were sacrificed (Prophylaxis). The intestinal tissues were harvested for histopathological investigation. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the intestinal tissues were determined.

Results: The mucosal injury grades of the treatment and prophylaxis groups were significantly lower than those of control groups (p<0.05). The mean MDA level in the treatment and prophylaxis groups were 0.42+/-0.17 and 0.21+/-0.23 nmol/mg respectively. The MDA levels of both groups were significantly lower than in the control groups (p<0.05).

Conclusions: The present study shows that sucralfate has beneficial effects in an experimental model of hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced intestinal injury.