Effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on cytokine levels and haemostatic and biochemical parameters in a rat endotoxaemic model.

The presented study was planned to determine whether vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) could prevent cytokine haemostatic, haematological, and biochemical distur bances in LPS-treated rats. Adult male Wistar rats (weight range: 200‐250 g) were used. The study included four groups: group 1 served as a control group (C); animals in group 2 we re given intravenously 1.6 mg/100 g of LPS ( E. coli , serotype 0.111:B4); in group 3, rats were injecte d intraperitoneally with 25 ng/kg of VIP; in group 4, the same doses of VIP and LPS were injected simultaneously. Blood samples were collected 6 h after treatmen ts. In endotoxaemic rats, platelet count, fibrinogen, and antithrombin levels were decreased, the activated partial thromboplast in time and prothrombin time were prolonged, and leucopoenia, as well as signifi cant changes in differential leukocyte percentage w ere demonstrated. In addition, LPS caused statistically significant increases in p lasma TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 levels, and AST, ALT, creatinine, cholesterol, triglyceride concentrations. However, it caused a s tatistically significant decrease in total protein and albumin levels when compared to control group. The results showed that during en dotoxaemia, VIP had moderately therapeutic effect a s an antiinflammatory agent, suppressing TNF-α and IL-6, and stimulating IL-10; however, it was n ot effective against the adverse effect of LPS on i nvestigated haematological and biochemical parameters.