endotoxaemia

We have recently shown that significant portal and systemic endotoxaemia occurs in this model over a period of three weeks.

Attempts have been made to treat systemic endotoxaemia in inflammatory bowel disease.

Systemic endotoxaemia is a feature of the colitis rather than the inducing agent.

Induction of colitis was associated with systemic endotoxaemia.

This present study was not designed to assess the biological significance of endotoxaemia, however, nor the treatment of colitis.

With less severe colonic damage, terra fullonica was able to prevent the occurrence of systemic endotoxaemia.

In addition, other factors such as endotoxaemia, sepsis, and fever may contribute to further exaggerate these circulatory abnormalities.

Portal and systemic endotoxaemia have been documented in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis on many occasions.

The enteral administration of terra fullonica shifted the curve of spillover endotoxaemia seen in disease controls to the right (Figure).

With increasing colonic damage there was a greater incidence of endotoxaemia (>10 pg/ml) and the circulating concentrations of endotoxin were higher.

With increasing severity of colitis, there was a decreasing ability of adsorbent therapy (terra fullonica) to control systemic endotoxaemia.

Enteral administration of activated charcoal was not effective in reducing systemic endotoxaemia at a dose of 25 mg bd in this model.

Activated charcoal is a non-specific adsorbent used for treatment of most ingested poisons and for haemofiltration for endotoxaemia.

Systemic endotoxaemia has been demonstrated in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and correlates with the extent and activity of disease.

Other successful treatments of systemic endotoxaemia reported in inflammatory bowel disease include polymyxin, haemosorption, and whole gut irrigation with saline and 5-aminosalicylic acid.

The same dose of terra fullonica (300 mg bd) was ineffective in eliminating systemic endotoxaemia with this degree of colonic inflammation.

In conclusion, we have shown that the enteral administration of adsorbents is effective in treating systemic endotoxaemia in an experimental model of colitis.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ability of adsorbents, administered enterally, to reduce systemic endotoxaemia in a hapten induced model of colitis.

Enteral administration of kaopectate and terra fullonica over a period of three days produced a significant reduction in systemic endotoxaemia when compared with control therapy (Table III).

The enteral administration of kaolin and terra fullonica produced a significant reduction in systemic endotoxaemia compared with the disease control group (water) in this experimental model of colitis.

SIRS leads to a range of complications such as hypercoagulability of the blood, endotoxaemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).

Enteral administration of adsorbents controls gut derived systemic endotoxaemia in experimental colitis in animals and may be a useful antiendotoxin treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Enteral administration of kaolin in combination with kanamycin has also bee shown to be effective in the prevention of endotoxaemia caused by heat stress and intestinal ischaemia in primates.

In this study, 300 mg bd terra fullonica and 105 mg bd kaolin were effective in reducing systemic endotoxaemia in the colitic rat to concentrations not different from healthy animals.

Induction of colitis, by the intracolonic instillation of trinitro benzene sulphonic acid/ ethanol, acetic acid, or ethanol or by the oral administration of carrageenan is associated with systemic endotoxaemia.