AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY, vol.191, no.1, pp.77-83, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: During colitis, epithelial function is impaired, leading to increased bacterial translocation. Recent studies have shown the important role of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including RANTES (regulated on activation. normal T-cell expressed and secreted), in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). In this study, we evaluated the role of Met-RANTES, an antagonist of the RANTES receptor, on the impairment of bacterial translocation in a rat model of colitis.