The Effect of Infliximab on Intestinal Anastomosis Healing in Rats

Intestinal anastomosis healing is a complex physiological process in which many local and systemic factors play a role. One of the significant cytokines in this process is TNF-α. Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody which binds to TNF-α with high affinity. Although this agent is used in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, intestinal surgery may be required in these patients. In this study it was aimed to determine whether or not there was any negative effect of preoperative single dose infliximab treatment on intestinal anastomosis healing. Two groups of 10 rats were formed. One of these groups was administered with a single dose of infliximab 8 mg/kg as a 20-minute intravenous infusion from the femoral vein. Four days after the infusion, a full layer incision was made to the colon and anastomosis was applied to all the rats. At 7 days after anastomosis, the subjects were sacrificed. The anastomosis segment was removed and the bursting pressure was measured. Tissue samples were taken from this segment for hydroxyproline concentration and histopathological examination. A blood sample was taken to measure TNF-α values. No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in terms of bursting pressure, tissue hydroxyproline concentration or histopathological scoring. A single dose of 8 mg/kg infliximab administered 4 days preoperatively was not found to have any negative effect on intestinal anastomosis healing in rats.