Lipid-rich enteral nutrition improves the defense against an opportunistic infection during polymicrobial sepsis

The development of an immunosuppressive state during the protracted sepsis is associated with opportunistic infections and is considered to with the extent of the proinflammatory response during early sepsis. intervention with enteral lipid-rich nutrition was shown to attenuate inflammatory response. This study investigates the effects of lipid-rich nutrition on the immunosuppression induced by polymicrobial sepsis. mice were either fasted or fed liquid lipid-rich nutrition or isocaloric nutrition before and shortly after induction of polymicrobial sepsis cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or sham operation. After 4 days, mice intranasally infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Twenty-four hours aeruginosa infection, fasted and control nutrition-fed CLP mice significantly higher bacterial load in the lungs than did corresponding sham-operated mice (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Fasted CLP expressed reduced pulmonary levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in comparison to sham mice 0.05). Lipid-rich nutrition prevented the increase in bacteria, promoted IL-12 and IFN-gamma production (IL-12 and IFN-gamma [P < 0.05] vs. IFN-gamma [P < 0.05] vs. control nutrition), and prevented the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 (P < 0.05 vs. control nutrition) in mice. The preserved immune defense during late sepsis in lipid-rich fed preceded by attenuation of the early inflammatory response (IL-6 [P = IL-10 [P < 0.01] vs. fasted CLP mice) at 6 h after CLP. In conclusion, treatment with lipid-rich enteral nutrition improves the pulmonary defense during polymicrobial sepsis.