OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of beta-catenin in the intestinal mucosa of rats with severe abdominal infection.

METHODSForty healthy adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10, with celiotomy only) and 3 abdominal infection groups (n=10) sacrificed at 12, 24, 48 h after cecal ligation plus puncture for inducing severe abdominal infection, respectively. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR were performed to detect beta-catenin expression in the crypt of the small intestine during severe abdominal infection and in normal conditions.

RESULTSRats with severe abdominal infection showed stronger beta-catenin expression in the crypt of the small intestine than normal rats, and the transcription level of beta-catenin was associated with the stages of severe abdominal infection. RT-PCR showed that beta-catenin mRNA increased rapidly 12 h after the infection (0.74-/+0.10 vs 0.52-/+0.06, P<0.01), reaching the peak level at 24 h (0.90-/+0.09, P<0.01), followed then by gradual decrease but remained still obviously higher than the control level at 24 h (0.80-/+0.09, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSevere abdominal infection may induce beta-catenin expression which might be related with the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells in such condition and play an important role in intestinal mucosa damage and repair.