RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the treatment effects of antithrombin-III (AT-III) on coagulation abnormalities in rats with endotoxaemia. METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, coagulation abnormality group and AT-III group (each n=8). Endotoxaemia coagulopathy model was reproduced by intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in two doses of 1.4 ml/kg (100 microg) and 2.8 ml/kg (200 microg) 12 hours apart. In the AT-III group, AT-III 25 U/kg was given intravenously 1 hour after second injection of LPS. The changes in blood platelet (PLT) count, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), D-dimer (DD), AT-III activity, fibrinogen (FI), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined 3 hours later. RESULTS: Levels of PLT, FI and AT-III in coagulation abnormality group were lowered compared with control group (all P<0.01), while APTT, DD, PT, ALT, AST, ALP and LDH were increased (all P<0.01). All indexes were significantly improved in AT-III group, the values were close to those of normal control group (all P>0.05), and the differences were significant when compared with those of coagulation abnormality group (all P<0.01). Pathological changes of the lung, kidney and liver tissues were lighter in AT-III group than those of coagulation abnormality group. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that AT-III can be used to treat disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rats with endotoxaemia. Preventive use of AT-III in rats with endotoxaemia is therapeutically effective.