Abstract
Hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of death in patients with trauma. We recently demonstrated that resveratrol can improve cardiac function and prolong life following severe hemorrhagic injury (HI) in a rat model. The present work is focused on determining changes in NF-κB dependent gene expression in the heart and the systemic cytokine milieu following HI and the effect of resveratrol treatment. The results indicate an increase in phosphorylated NF-κB in the heart with a concomitant increase in the expression of NF-κB dependent genes following HI. There was also a significant increase of systemic cytokine levels, both pro and anti-inflammatory, following HI and resolution when treated with resveratrol. This study demonstrates the potential role NF-κB has in the physiological response to HI and the effectiveness of resveratrol in reducing immune activation.