Can levosimendan prevent lung injury in experimental rat sepsis model?

Aim:.Sepsis-induced lung failure is associated with high mortality, despite advances intreatment methods. The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the effects oflevosimendan treatment, which is a new inotropic drug, on lung injury in intraabdominalsepsis model.Materials and Methods: After approval of the study by DEUTF experimental animalresearch ethics committee, Wistar rats weighing between 250 and 300 grams were used in thestudy. Twenty-one male Wistar Albino rats were randomly allocated into three groups. Shamgroup underwent only laparotomy. CLP was performed after laparotomy in the sepsis group.Levosimendan infusion was administered to the Sepsis+levosimendan group after laparotomyand CLP. Sham and sepsis groups were given fluid infusion during two hours afterstabilization. Continuous levosimendan treatment (0.3 ?g/kg/min) was began after an initialloading dose of 12 ?g/kg. MAP were measured at basal, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120 min. Ratswere sacrificed at 12 h after the surgical procedure . The left lung was removed forbiochemical processes ( tissue MPO-TBARS). The right lung was used for histopathologicalexamination. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis. Weregarded p < 0,05 as statistically significant.Measurements and Main Results: No difference in basal MAP values between groups werefound. MAP significantly decreased in sepsis group at 30, 60, 120 min compared with shamgroup. MAP in Sepsis group, compared with the sepsis+levosimendan group, decreasedexcept for basal and tenth minute. MAP at 10, 20 and 60.minutes in sepsis+levosimendangroup were lower than the ones in sham group. TBARS and MPO activity and number ofalveolar macrophages in sepsis group was significantly higher than the ones in other groups.Conclusion: Levosimendan treatment reduced leukocyte accumulation, lipid peroxidation andhistological damage in the lung. We concluded that the use of levosimendan in the earlysepsis period attenuated the lung injury but this issue must be supported by clinical researchs.Key Words: Sepsis, Lung injury, Levosimendan