Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and circulatory arrest (CA) can induce intestinal injury and consequently lead to multiple organ dysfunction. Nitric oxide (NO) has protective effects, but its effect on the intestine has not been studied. The study aimed to investigate intestinal injury variables and prove the intestinal protective effects of exogenous nitric oxide when modelling CPB and CA in an experiment. METHODS: The study was performed on sheep (n = 24). There were four groups: CPB, CPB + NO, CPB + CA and CPB + CA + NO. Sheep in NO groups received intraoperative inhalation of NO at a dose of 80 ppm. Groups without NO underwent CPB and CA without NO delivery. Defaecation rate, dynamics of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (i-FABP), coefficient of microviscosity and polarity in the areas of lipid-lipid and protein-lipid interactions of erythrocyte membranes were assessed. One hour after CPB, the intestinal tissue was collected and assessed for tissue concentrations of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and lactate. RESULTS: The defaecation rate after CPB was higher in the CPB + NO group than in the CPB group. The concentration of i-FABP after CPB was lower in the CPB + NO and CPB + CA + NO groups than in the CPB and CPB + CA groups. Erythrocyte deformability before and after CPB revealed no significant dynamics in groups with NO. The ATP concentration 1 h after CPB was higher in the CPB + NO group than in the CPB group. The morphological picture in groups with NO was better. CONCLUSION: When modelling CPB and CA, NO had a positive effect on the functional and structural state of the intestine and also maintained erythrocyte deformability.