THE EFFECTS OF INTERFERON-α2b ON INTESTINAL FLORA IN PERITONEAL FIBROSIS

Peritonitis is an important cause of the mortality and morbidity of peritoneal dialysis patients. The present study aims to investigate the effects of ynterferon (IFN)-alpha 2b on intestinal flora in peritoneal fibrosis. Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups. The control group received 0.9% saline (3 ml/d) intraperitoneally; the chlorhexidine gluconate (CH) group received 3 ml daily injections of 0.1% CH intraperitoneally; the CH+IFN group received 3 ml daily injections of 0.1% CH intraperitoneally and pegylated IFN-alpha 2b 1.5 mu g/kg per week subcutaneously on days 0, 7, 14. On the twenty-first day rats were sacrificed and visseral peritoneum samples were obtained from the liver. Blood samples were obtained from the abdominal aorta and intestinal flora samples were obtained from distal small intestine and transverse colon. Histopathologic control of CH, CH+IFN groups peritoneal thickness were 6.04 +/- 2.32, 135.4 +/- 22.24, and 42.56 +/- 11.6 mu m, respectively. The decrease in thickness of parietal peritoneum in the CH+IFN group was statistically significant when compared to the CH group. Escherechia coli (E. Coli) had grown in cultures of the small intestine and colon samples of all the rats in the control group, whereas Proteus species (spp) had grown in one and Enterobacter spp. in seven cultures of the CH group. E. Coli had grown in four cultures, Proteus spp in three culture and Enterobacter spp. in one culture obtained from small intestine and transverse colon of the control group. The intestinal flora changed as the peritoneal thickness increased. The intestinal flora in the CH group completely changed compared with the control group (p<0.001). There was no correlation between visceral peritoneal thickness and intestinal flora change in the IFN group (p>0.05). IFN-alpha 2b recovers the intestinal flora and the intestinal motility, thus reducing the experimental peritoneal fibrosis.