Splanchnic sympathectomy prevents translocation and spreading of E.coli in experimental liver cirrhosis

Bacterial translocation (BT) of enteric gram-negative bacteria, predominantly E. coli frequently cause spontaneous infections in cirrhosis. The splanchnic sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is intensively activated in advanced cirrhosis and exerts potent immunosuppressive actions. However, the role of splanchnic SNS-activity for BT and bacterial spreading in cirrhosis is unclear. Methods: E. coli (106 CFU/ml) was given i.p. (3ml) and 6 hours later mesenteric lymphnodes (MLN), liver, spleen, lung and peripheral blood were harvested sterile from ascitic cirrhotic rats (LC) and healthy controls (Con) with and without…