The effect of parenteral betanin pre-treatment on the inflammatory response and proliferative activity of pulmonary parenchyma after jejunal ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury has detrimental effects on both local and distant organs. Serious oxidative damage is caused by reperfusion, and betanin, known for its antioxidant properties, may reduce it. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that betanin administration prior to intestinal IR may be protective of the lung parenchyma against damage inflicted by intestinal IR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-nine specific pathogen-free Charles River Wistar albino rats were divided into a sham group (without IR), an IR group (60 min of small-intestine ischaemia with 1, 4 and 24 h of reperfusion - group A and three subgroups) and a betanin-pre-treated IR group (intraperitoneal betanin at 50 mg/kg bw, administration 30 min before ischaemia followed by 1, 4 and 24 h of reperfusion - group B and three subgroups). Lung biopsies were screened for histopathological changes and immunohistochemical expression of anti-cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). RESULTS: Pre-treatment with betanin significantly reduced cellular COX-2 expression during the early and late reperfusion periods (respective P-values <0.05 and <0.001) compared to the untreated group. Expression of PCNA was significantly upregulated in both injured groups comparted to the sham group. In betanin-pre-treated rats less than half the PCNA expression noted in the untreated rats was present in the late reperfusion period (group A at 24 h vs group B at 24 h; P-value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Betanin pre-treatment prior to intestinal IR is indicated to serve as a protective agent against the lung injury mediated by the intestinal injury.