OBJECTIVETo investigate the influences of enteral nutrition (EN), parenteral nutrition (PN) and probiotics supplement on the intestinal microecology, and barrier function of the rats with abdominal infection.

METHODSTwenty-one Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with abdominal infection were randomly divided into three groups, and received PN (PN group, n=7), PN+ EN (PN+ EN group, n=7) or PN+ EN+ probiotics (probiotics group, n=7) respectively with isonitrogen and isocaloric nutrition. The rats were sacrificed after six days. The feces in cecum were cultured for anaerobic bacterial growth and DNA fingerprint spectrum was analyzed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA technique. The transmembrane binding protein (occludin) and IgA levels in colon and terminal ileum were detected by immunohistochemistry method. The bacterial translocation rate and endotoxin level were also measured.

RESULTSThe germ numbers of different species were both higher in PN+ EN and probiotic group than those in PN group. The bands of DNA fingerprint spectrum were significantly decreased in PN group, but the bands in both PN+ EN group and probiotic group were similar to that in the normal rats. The expression levels of occludin and IgA in the intestine and colorectum were higher in both PN+ EN group and probiotic group compared with those of PN group (P< 0.05, P< 0.01, respectively), the expression level of occludin was higher in probiotic group than that in PN+ EN group (P< 0.05). The overall bacterial translocation rates and endotoxin levels were significantly reduced in both probiotic and PN+ EN group (P< 0.05), but there was no difference between probiotic group and EN group.

CONCLUSIONEN combined with probiotics can increase occluding and IgA expressions, improve the intestinal microecology,maintain the gut barrier function, and decrease the incidence of gut bacterial translocation.