U.S. scientists say they've used the hormone Ghrelin to block organ injury after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion, a common surgical problem.

Dr. Ping Wang and colleagues at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research used Ghrelin, which has potent anti-inflammatory properties, in laboratory models to test its effects on the events associated with oxygen deprivation in the gut. They found that it was successful in protecting against the abnormal inflammatory cascade that occurs when oxygen is restored to tissue.

During abdominal emergency surgery, there's a risk the blood supply to the intestine might be temporarily blocked, causing a potentially life-threatening problem, the researchers said. Once blood flow is restored, the reperfusion of oxygen triggers white blood cells to move into the area and releases molecules that can damage local tissue.

Wang's team using laboratory animals found Ghrelin decreased the abnormal inflammatory response by more than 50 percent, improved the function of the gut and reduced the intestinal bacterial count.

"Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion is a very critical condition, and there are no treatments," said Wang. "Hopefully, we can work towards developing this into an effective treatment for patients."

The study was published in the online journal PLoS One. (c) UPI