Vitamin E effects on intestinal damages in burned rats

Vitamin E is a fat–soluble agent protecting cells from free radicals damages. Previous studies have shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in mucosal intestinal damages in burn trauma. This study aimed to investigate vitamin E effects on small intestinal mucosal changes in burned rats. Mature male rats (n=32) weighing 260 ± 10 g were used in this experiment. After induction of deep general anesthesia, a determined area of rats’ back region (10% of body surface) was exposed to 95oC water for 8 seconds to induce a second-degree wet burn. The evaluated groups in our study were: 8 rats without burning, 8 rats without burning treated with vitamin E, 300 mg/kg/day for 15 days, 8 burned rats without medication and 8 burned rats treated with vitamin E, 300 mg/kg/day for 15 days. All rats were killed on fifteenth day by ether inhalation. The samples were taken from the first part of small intestine and were stained by Hematoxylin & Eosin method. Burned rats receiving vitamin E had a higher intestinal villi height and lower intestinal lumen diameter as compared to burned rats without the vitamin E treatment (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and those values were close to the results of unburned ones. There were no significant differences among the study groups regarding the intestinal diameter and muscular layer thickness. Vitamin E can improve intestinal villus height and lumen diameter and its consumption at the time of burning may protect intestine mucosa.