To investigate the effects of triple live combined bifidobacterium, lactobacillus and enterococcus (Golden bifid) on bacterial translocation in rats undergoing hepatectomy.

Fifty-five Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups: sham operation group (SO group, n=15), partial hepatectomy group (PH group, n=20) and partial hepatectomy plus Golden bifid group (PHG group, n=20). The peri-hepatic ligaments of rats in SO group were cut off and then abdomen were closed. The left medial, lateral lobes and middle lobes of rats in the PH and PHG group were resected, which were about two-thirds of the total volume of liver. The rats in the SO group and PH group were given sterile distilled water to drink freely, while the rats in the PHG group were given Golden bifid solution (10⁹ CFU/ml) after the operation. The stool samples of rats were microscopic examined and the ratio of enterococci and entericbacilli were calculated 48 hours' feeding after the operation. The mesenteric lymph nodes were taken to culture the bacterium was cultured and the positive rate was calculated. The venous plasma endotoxin level was tested. The ratio of enterococci and entericbacilli (geometrical mean) and plasma endotoxin level among 3 groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) or Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. LSD-t test or Mann-Whitney test was used for pairwise comparison. Fisher definite probability method was used to compare the positive rate of bacterial culture of the mesenteric lymph nodes.

Geometric means of the ratio of enterococci and entericbacilli was 1∶9 in the SO group, 3∶1 in PH group and 1∶4 in the PHG group. There was significant difference between the PH group and the SO group (LSD-t=3.34, P<0.05), and significant difference was also observed between the PHG group and the PH group (LSD-t=2.43, P<0.05) . The positive rate of bacterium cultured from the mesenteric lymph nodes was evidently higher in the PH group (7%, 1/15) than that in the SO group (65 %, 13/20; P=0.01), and that in the PHG group (20%, 4/20) was evidently lower than that in the PH group (P=0.01). The plasma endotoxin level in the SO, PH, PHG group were 0 (0-4.9) ng/L、4.1 (1.7-94.5) ng/L, 2.1 (0-10.0) ng/L respectively. The endotoxin level in the PH group was significantly higher compared with the SO and PHG group (U=25.5, 107.5; P<0.05).

Golden bifid can improve the intestinal dysbacteriosis, reduce the incidence of bacterial translocation and plasma endotoxin level of rats. Golden bifid can be applied to prevent the postoperative infection of rats after liver resection.