부산대학교 도서관

Hemorrhagic shock is caused by severe blood loss and changes the body's ability to respond to endotoxins and sepsis (bacterial infection of the blood). Endotoxin is a poison contained in the walls of some microorganisms, particularly intestinal bacteria; when these bacteria die, endotoxin is released and broken down in the body. The body's immune (defense) system changes is affected by severe injury; one of these changes involves failure of the bone marrow to respond appropriately to myelopoietic stimuli (for producing marrow cells). Interferon-gamma improves the body's immune response following severe shock, but its effect on bone marrow production is controversial. Interferons are groups of proteins that have antiviral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects; one particular interferon, interferon-gamma, stimulates macrophage function (cells that destroy microorganisms). Using an animal model (rats), a study was undertaken to determine if treatment with interferon-gamma improves marrow response to endotoxin after hemorrhagic shock. Treatment with interferon-gamma increased the granulocyte macrophage colony forming units (CFU-GM) in all the animal subjects and reversed the decline of CFU-GM in rats injected with endotoxin. These results suggest that interferon-gamma stimulates bone marrow and restores its myelopoietic response after exposure to endotoxin. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)