Trophic effects of interleukin-11 in rats with experimental short bowel syndrome

Interleukin-ll (IL-) is a multifunctional cytokine, derived from bone marrow stromal cells, that stimulates proliferation of stem/progenitor precursor cells in the small intestinal crypts and accelerates recovery of intestinal mucosa after cytoablative therapy. This study evaluates whether IL-ll can improve the function and structure of the small intestine and enhance adaptation in an experimental model of short bowel syndrome. After 90% small bowel resection, 32 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into eight experimental groups of four animals each. Four groups were treated with IL-ll (125 mu g/kg twice daily, subcutaneously), and the four control groups were treated with a similar volume (0.1%) of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The animals were weighed daily and were killed on day 2, 4, 6, or 8; remnant small bowel was evaluated for villus height and crypt cell mitosis. The body weight of the animals that received IL-ll was significantly greater at the beginning of postoperative day 4 in comparison to that of the BSA groups (P <.01 during days 5 to 7). The rats that had IL-ll also had significantly greater villus height and crypt cell mitotic rates (P <.05). These observations suggest that IL-ll has a trophic effect on the small bowel during the adaptive phase that follows massive bowel resection and may be useful in the treatment of short bowel syndrome. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company