Stimulation of the Reticuloendothelial System in Burned Rats Infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

The effect of reticuloendothelial system (RES) stimulation on burn shock and burn infection was investigated. Standardized 3rd degree burns were inflicted upon rats which were treated before and after burning with RE stimulants. Pretreatment with restim, a lipid fraction of shark liver, provided a certain shock protection and significantly decreased mortality from postburn P. aeruginosa infection. The increased RES activity after glucan injections, however, seemed to be abolished by the burn trauma. Furthermore, glucan treatment markedly increased susceptibility to postburn Gram-negative infections. Blockade of the RES with colloidal carbon was followed by a 100% shock mortality, whereas previous tolerance to endotoxin protected against burn shock but not against postburn infection. The contrasting results after restim and glucan treatment are presumably due to a different responsiveness of the stimulated RE cells to "burn toxin" and endotoxin. Glucan causes a marked proliferation of the RES whereas restim increases the percentage of active RE cells as well as the phagocytic capacity of the individual RE cell.