Ethyl pyruvate improves healing of colonic anastomosis in a rat model of peritonitis.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of ethyl pyruvate (EP) on wound healing in primary colonic anastomoses in intraperitoneal sepsis.

Methods: Standard left colon resection and end-to-end anastomosis were performed on 30 rats. They were grouped as control (C)--no further treatment; sepsis (S)--received 2 mL Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) intraperitoneally (IP), and after 5 hours, standard resection and anastomosis were performed; or sepsis-group treated with EP (S-EP)--received 2 mL E coli IP, after 5 hours, standard resection and anastomosis were performed and treated with EP 50 mg/kg IP for 7 days. On the postoperative day 7, the animals were sacrificed.

Results: The anastomosis bursting pressure in group S was significantly lower than in the other groups. There were no differences between groups C and S-EP. Tissue hydroxyproline concentrations in group C were significantly higher than in group S.

Conclusions: EP administration prevented intraperitoneal sepsis-induced impaired anastomotic healing of colon.