Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 21, 2015; 21(47): 13250-13258
Published online Dec 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i47.13250
Protective role of adiponectin in a rat model of intestinal ischemia reperfusion injury
Xu-Hui Liu, Yue-Wu Yang, Hai-Tao Dai, Song-Wang Cai, Rui-Han Chen, Zhi-Qiang Ye
Xu-Hui Liu, Hai-Tao Dai, Rui-Han Chen, Zhi-Qiang Ye, Department of Emergency Care, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
Yue-Wu Yang, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
Song-Wang Cai, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun, Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu XH, Yang YW and Dai HT contributed equally to this work; Ye ZQ designed research; Liu XH and Yang YW performed research; Dai HT and Cai SW contributed new reagents or analytical tools; Chen RH analyzed data; Liu XH and Yang YW wrote the paper.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. The animal protocol was designed to minimize pain or discomfort to the animals.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declared no conflicts of interest in this study.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Zhi-Qiang Ye, Department of Emergency Care, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 600 Tianhe Street, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China. yezhiqiang150211@163.com
Telephone: +86-20-85253010 Fax: +86-20-85252553
Received: March 3, 2015
Peer-review started: March 5, 2015
First decision: May 18, 2015
Revised: June 21, 2015
Accepted: September 2, 2015
Article in press: September 2, 2015
Published online: December 21, 2015
Processing time: 287 Days and 2 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To determine the potential protective role of adiponectin in intestinal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury.

METHODS: A rat model of intestinal I/R injury was established. The serum level of adiponectin in rats with intestinal I/R injury was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were also measured by ELISA. Apoptosis of intestinal cells was detected using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. The production of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and villous injury scores were also measured.

RESULTS: Adiponectin was downregulated in the serum of rats with intestinal I/R injury compared with sham rats. No significant changes in the expression of adiponectin receptor 1 and adiponectin receptor 2 were found between sham and I/R rats. Pre-treatment with recombinant adiponectin attenuated intestinal I/R injury. The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, in rats with intestinal I/R injury was reduced by adiponectin pre-treatment. The production of MDA was inhibited, and the release of SOD was restored by adiponectin pre-treatment in rats with intestinal I/R injury. Adiponectin pre-treatment also inhibited cell apoptosis in these rats. Treatment with the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway inhibitor, compound C, or the heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) inhibitor, Snpp, attenuated the protective effects of adiponectin against intestinal I/R injury.

CONCLUSION: Adiponectin exhibits protective effects against intestinal I/R injury, which may involve the AMPK/HO-1 pathway.

Keywords: Adiponectin; Ischemia reperfusion injury; Intestine

Core tip: Serum adiponectin was downregulated in the rat model of intestinal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury, and adiponectin pre-treatment attenuated intestinal I/R injury in rats. While the underlying mechanism of adiponectin-induced protection against intestinal I/R injury is not fully understood, the results of the present study suggest that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) signaling pathway may be involved in this process. Therefore, adiponectin and components of the AMPK/HO-1 signaling pathway may be promising targets in the treatment of intestinal I/R injury.