Use of quantitative real-time PCR to determine the local inflammatory response in the intestinal mucosa and muscularis of horses undergoing small intestinal resection.
Authors: Lisowski Zofia M, Lefevre Lucas, Mair Tim S, Clark Emily L, Hudson Neil P H, Hume David A, Pirie R Scott
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Surgical trauma during equine colic operations triggers a measurable inflammatory cascade within the intestinal wall, mirroring mechanisms documented in rodent and human models. Researchers used quantitative real-time PCR to compare gene expression in healthy tissue margins from 12 horses undergoing small intestinal resection with 6 control horses, measuring key inflammatory mediators including interleukins IL-1β and IL-6, the chemokine CCL2, tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and related signalling molecules. Tissue harvested from colic cases demonstrated significantly elevated expression of all four principal inflammatory markers in both the mucosa and muscularis externa, with no difference between proximal and distal resection margins, suggesting a generalised surgical inflammatory response rather than site-specific injury. Notably, horses subsequently developing post-operative reflux showed substantially greater TNF expression in the mucosa pre-operatively, identifying this cytokine as a potential predictive biomarker for a common post-surgical complication. Whilst limited by small sample size, these findings support the inflammatory basis of post-operative dysmotility and suggest that quantifying inflammatory gene expression may help stratify surgical colic cases for targeted anti-inflammatory intervention or prognostic counselling.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Post-operative reflux in colic patients may be predicted by TNF expression in intestinal mucosa, potentially enabling earlier intervention
- •The inflammatory response to intestinal surgery is widespread across both mucosa and muscularis; management strategies should target the inflammatory cascade rather than focusing on single factors
- •Local inflammatory gene expression in resection margins does not correlate with pre-operative colic duration or location, suggesting inflammation is surgery-induced rather than disease-dependent
Key Findings
- •Colic cases showed significantly increased relative gene expression of IL1β, IL6, CCL2, and TNF in both mucosa and muscularis externa compared to healthy controls
- •Horses that developed post-operative reflux had significantly greater TNF expression in the mucosa than those without reflux
- •No correlation found between gene expression levels and duration of colic, age, resection length, survival, or pre-operative reflux status