Ghrelin Promotes Blood Flow and Regulates Apoptosis-Related Factors in the Stomach of Rats with Sepsis

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of ghrelin on the gastric blood flow of a rat model of sepsis, and on the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in gastric tissues. Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 12): normal control, sham (laparotomy without model induction, and saline injection), sepsis (cecal ligation and puncture [CLP], and saline injection), and ghrelin (ghrelin was injected at 2, 4 and 8 hours after CLP) groups. Blood flow in the greater curvature of the stomach was detected at 12 hours after surgery by laser Doppler. Then, Bcl-2 and Bax in gastric tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The blood flow in the greater curvature of the stomach was similar in the normal control and sham groups, the blood flow in the greater curvature of the stomach in the sepsis group (284.3 ± 95.7) was significantly lower than that in the sham group (317.8 ± 5.2) (P < 0.05), and the blood flow in the ghrelin group (377.8 ± 99.0) was significantly higher than that in the sham and sepsis groups (P < 0.05). In the normal control and sham groups, the expression of Bcl-2 or Bax was hardly detectable in rat gastric mucosal tissues. In the sepsis group, a moderate expression of Bcl-2 and a stronger expression of Bax were detected. In the ghrelin group, Bcl-2 expression increased and Bax expression decreased. Conclusion: These results suggest that ghrelin can promote blood flow in the stomach of septic rats, and upregulate the protein expression of Bcl-2 and downregulate the protein expression of Bax in gastric tissues.