Effects of Ketamine on the Survival Rate and Serum Concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6,and NO in Septic Rats

Objective To investigate the effects of ketamine on sepsis induced by cecal ligation-perforation(CLP)and the possible underlying mechanism.Methods 120 male SD rats were randomly allocated into three groups: normal control group,control group,and ketamine group.Each group was divided into four subgroups(Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ).A cecum ligation and puncture procedure was used to make sepsis model.After half an hour of operation,ketamine group was administered with ketamine 50mg/kg every 12h intramuscularly,whereas normal control group and control group were given equivalent volume normal saline until rats died or 5-day observation ended.The survival period was observed in each subgroupsⅠduring 5 days.Arterial blood samples were taken from rats in subgroupsⅡ、Ⅲ and Ⅳfor measurements of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)and nitric oxide(NO) at 0 hour before operation,4 hours after operation and the dying point of each rat of control subgroup Ⅳ.Results In control group TNF-α and IL-6 significantly elevated after the CLP procedure compared with those in normal control group(P0.01).Moreover TNF-α concentration at 4h after the CLP procedure was higher than that at the dying point;IL-6 levels increased in parallel with the time elapsed.NO in control group only significantly elevated at the dying point compared with that in normal control group(P0.01).Decreases in the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were found at anytime after ketamine intervention(P0.01);NO in ketamine group significantly decreased at the dying point compared with that in control group(P0.01).The 5-day survival rate in normal control group was 100%,in control group was 0,in ketamine group was 60%.A significantly higher survival rate was found in ketamine group than that in control group (P0.01).Conclusion Ketamine could restrain the TNF-α,IL-6 and NO serum concentrations by the CLP procedure and raise the survival rate of rats with sepsis.