Drag-Reducing Polymers Stabilize Kidney and Intestine Microcirculation and Oxygenation in Rat Sepsis

Monday, March 23, 2026

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time

Location: Connections Central - RST 16

DB

Denis E. Bragin, Ph.D., FAHA

Lovelace Biomedical

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.
OB

Olga A. Bragina, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, New Mexico

Disclosure information not submitted.
Michael R. Pinsky, MD, FAPS, MCCM (he/him/his)

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

Disclosure information not submitted.
AT

Alex O. Trofimov, MD, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Privolzhsky Research Medical University

Disclosure information not submitted.
HG

Hernando Gómez, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Disclosure information not submitted.
CI

Can Ince, Ph.D.

Professor
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Disclosure information not submitted.
EN

Edwin M. Nemoto, Ph.D., FAHA

Professor
University of New Mexico School of Medicine, New Mexico

Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: Sepsis causes early microcirculatory failure. We examined whether drag-reducing polymers (DRPs) preserve renal and intestinal microcirculation in rats, comparing Colon Ascendens Stent Peritonitis (CASP) and the LPS-induced model of sterile inflammation.

Methods: Male Wistar rats underwent CASP or LPS administration (10 mg/kg i.v. + 0.1 mg/kg/h). Baseline renal and intestinal perfusion (Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging) and oxygenation (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, OxyHb) were recorded. Animals then received saline or DRPs (140 μg/kg i.v.). Outcomes were reassessed 4 hrs after induction.

Results: Both CASP and LPS caused similar early decreases in renal and intestinal microcirculation and OxyHb. Across organs and models, DRP consistently reduced the perfusion decline by ~40% and maintained OxyHb higher by ~15–25 percentage points versus saline, indicating sustained nutritive capillary flow and decreased shunting to non-nutritive pathways. The extent and direction of DRP benefits were similar in CASP and LPS, with no significant model-specific differences at 4 hours.

Conclusions: DRP stabilizes microcirculation and maintains tissue oxygenation in early sepsis. Similar results across CASP and LPS indicate model-independent vascular protection, meriting larger, longer follow-up.