Prospective clinical and experimental studies on the cardioprotective effect of ulinastatin following severe burns

Objective To investigate the preventive effect of ulinastatin on shock in the heart after burn. Methods In an open prospective clinical study 34 adults with burns >50% total body surface area were randomly divided into control (B) and ulinastatin-treated (U) groups. All underwent routine treatment, and group U received 100,000 U ulinastatin intravenously three times a day for 1 week. In an animal experiment, 72 healthy rats underwent equivalent burn, similar division into groups B and U, and resuscitation according to Parklandʹs formula. Rats in group U received ulinastatin (40,000 U/kg) immediately after burn. Myocardial pathomorphology, plasma cTnI, CK-MB and PMNE, myocardial MDA, TNF-α, IL-10 and caspase-3 activity and cardiocyte apoptosis were determined. Results Plasma cTnI, CK-MB, and PMNE were higher in clinical group B than group U. In the animal experiment, plasma cTnI, CK-MB, myocardial MDA, TNF-α, IL-10 and caspase-3 activity, and apoptotic index and myocardial pathomorphological changes were significantly less in group U than in group B, save IL-10. Conclusion The clinical and experimental data showed that ulinastatin relieved myocardial damage from severe burn. The mechanism might involve modulation of the anti- and pro-inflammatory balance and lipid peroxidation, and decreased myocardiocyte apoptosis.