There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress has an important role in the development of multiorgan failure after major
burn injury. In the present study, we investigated whether the
leukotriene receptor blocker
montelukast is protective against
burn-induced injury of the gut. Under brief
ether anaesthesia, shaved dorsum of the rats was exposed to 90 degrees C (
burn group) or 25 degrees C (control group) water bath for 10 s.
Montelukast (10 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally immediately after and at the 12th hour of the
burn injury. Rats were decapitated 24 h after
burn injury and the skin samples, as well as tissue samples from stomach, ileum and colon, were taken for the determination of
malondialdehyde (MDA) and
glutathione (GSH) levels,
myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and
collagen contents. Tissues were also examined microscopically.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (
TNF-alpha) and
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were assayed in serum samples. Severe skin scald injury (30% of total body surface area) caused a significant decrease in GSH level, which was accompanied with significant increases in MDA level, MPO activity and
collagen content of tissues. Similarly, serum
TNF-alpha and LDH were elevated in the
burn group as compared to control group. On the other hand,
montelukast treatment reversed all these biochemical indices, as well as histopathological alterations, which were induced by thermal
trauma. Findings of the present study suggest that
montelukast possesses an anti-inflammatory effect on
burn-induced gastrointestinal damage and protects against oxidative injury by a neutrophil-dependent mechanism.