Interventional effect of reduced glutathione on acute lung injury in septic rats

Objective To investigate the interventional effect of glutathione(GSH) on acute lung injury( ALI) in septic rats. Methods A total of 72 male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomized into the sham-operated group, model group and intervention group, 24 rats in each group. Sepsis models were established through improved cecum ligation and perforation in the model and intervention groups, and the sham-operated model was established in the sham-operated group. Half an hour postoperatively, rats in the intervention group were inoculated with peritoneal injection of GSH, while the rats in the model and sham-operated groups injected with saline instead, all at a dose of 25 mg/100 g. They were sacrificed at 6, 12, 24, 48 hours respectively and the specimens were taken at each time point. Rats in each group were randomly divided into 4 equal subgroups. The arterial oxygen partial pressure(PaO2), serum C-reactive protein(CRP), the wet to dry weight ratio of lung(W/D), the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA) and GSH were detected, and the pathological changes in lung tissue were also observed. Results The model group showed a significantly lower level in PaO2 and GSH compared with the other groups(all P 0.05), declined till 48 h. In the intervention group, the levels of serum CRP, W/D, MDA were remarkably higher than that in the model group(P 0.05), the level of serum CRPreached the peak value at 12 h postoperatively, then gradually decreased. Remarkable pathological manifestations of pulmonary injury was observed in the model group, when compared with that in the intervention group. Conclusion GSH can inhibit inflammation, reduce the oxygen stress injury, thereby relieve ALI in rats with sepsis.