Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (BTR) on hepatic blood flow (HBF) and tissue edema in rats following severe empyrosis. Methods Forty-eight male SD rats, weighting (250±10) g, were randomly divided into three groups: normal+BTR(NB) group, empyrosis+normal saline (EN) group and empyrosis +BTR (EB) group. The rats in the EN and EB groups were subjected to 50% TBSA third-degree burns by immersing the back in boiling water for 15 seconds and the abdomen for 8 seconds, and then BTR (400 mg/kg) or normal saline was intraperitoneally injected, respectively. The NB group was intraperitoneally injected with BTR (400 mg/kg). Hepatic blood flow was measured by laser Doppler 3 and 6 hours after injury. Meanwhile, blood was drawn from the heart for measurement of plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The tissue samples of liver were harvested for the measurement of microvascular permeability and tissue water content. Results The plasma level of ALT, the tissue water content and the microvascular permeability of liver significantly increased while the HBF level significantly decreased in the EN group compared with the NB group at 3 and 6 hours after injury. Compared with the EN group, the plasma level of ALT, the microvascular permeability and the tissue water content in the EB group were significantly lowered at 3 and 6 hours after empyrosis. In addition, BTR treatment significantly increased the HBF level following empyrosis both at3 and 6 hours after empyrosis. Conclusions The results indicated that sodium butyrate has significantly protective effects on liver in rats with severe empyrosis by alleviating hepatic edema and increasing blood flow to liver.