The effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on bacterial translocation and inflammatory response in an experimental intestinal obstruction model in rats

OBJECTIVE: Intestinal obstruction (IO) is a disease which generates approximately 20% of emergency surgery and tends to with high mortality. Prevention of oxidative stress, bacterial translocation and tissue damage caused by IO is an important medical issue. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial and immunomodulatory agent. In this experimental study, we aimed to investigate the effects of CAPE on bacterial translocation, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and tissue injury caused by intestinal obstruction in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Breafly, thirty Wistar albino rats divided into three groups as Sham (n=10), IO (n=10) and IO + CAPE (10 mu mol/kg day, intraperitoneal) (n=10). The tissues from the study groups were examined biochemically, microbiologically and histopathologically. RESULTS: In CAPE treated group, decreased serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1 beta) and CRP (p < 0.05), additionally increased serum levels of antioxidant parameters (PONS, TAS) (p < 0.05), were observed after IO. Microbiologically, the rates of positive cultures of the lymph node, spleen, liver and blood were significantly decreased in CAPE treated group compared to the IO group. Also histopathological examination showed that the intestinal mucosal injury score and hepatic portal inflammation score were significantly decreased in the CAPE treated group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that intraperitoneal administration of CAPE might has potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects in IO. So, further studies on IO are needed to evaluate exact antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of CAPE.