Major surgery leads to a proinflammatory phenotype: Differential gene expression following a laparotomy

Fig. 1. Schematic of the study protocol. Animals were randomised into baseline, 6-hr and 3-day groups and a 3 cm transverse laparotomy was performed with liver manipulation. Blood was collected for stress hormones, cytokines, endothelial injury and coagulation. Tissues were freeze-clamped after 6-hrs and 3-days for gene expression and inflammatory mediators. An additional six animals were euthanized to collect baseline tissue samples and blood samples (see Materials and Methods).

Fig. 2. Relative expression of genes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, inflammation and metabolism in brain cortex at 6-hrs and 3-days after a laparotomy. A: Adrb1; B: Adra1a; C: Chrm2; D: Chrm1; E: Il1b; F: Nlrp3; G: Ampk; H: Ppargc1a; I: Tfam; J: Mtco3. Data are expressed as median and interquartile range and graphically presented as box-and-whisker plots with maximum and minimum data points (whiskers) for relative expression. n = 6 for all measurements. The functions of the different genes are found in Table 1.

Fig. 3. Relative expression of genes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, inflammation and metabolism in heart left ventricle at 6-hrs and 3-days after a laparotomy. A: Adrb1; B: Adra1a; C: Chrm2; D: Chrm1; E: Il1b; F: Nlrp3; G: Ampk; H: Ppargc1a; I: Tfam; J: Mtco3. Data are expressed as median and interquartile range and graphically presented as box-and-whisker plots with maximum and minimum data points (whiskers) for relative expression. n = 6 for all measurements. The functions of the different genes are found in Table 1.

Fig. 4. Relative expression of genes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, inflammation and metabolism in liver at 6-hrs and 3-days after a laparotomy. A: Adrb1; B: Adra1a; C: Chrm2; D: Chrm1; E: Il1b; F: Nlrp3; G: Ampk; H: Ppargc1a; I: Tfam; J: Mtco3. Data are expressed as median and interquartile range and graphically presented as box-and-whisker plots with maximum and minimum data points (whiskers) for relative expression. n = 6 for all measurements. The functions of the different genes are found in Table 1.

Fig. 5. Relative expression of genes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, inflammation and metabolism in the small intestine at 6-hrs and 3-days after a laparotomy. A: Adrb1; B: Adra1a; C: Chrm2; D: Chrm1; E: Il1b; F: Nlrp3; G: Ampk; H: Ppargc1a; I: Tfam; J: Mtco3. Data are expressed as median and interquartile range and graphically presented as box-and-whisker plots with maximum and minimum data points (whiskers) for relative expression. n = 6 for all measurements. The functions of the different genes are found in Table 1.