[Inflammatory reaction in the intestinal wall of rats: can intraperitonial urine cause damage?].

OBJECTIVE To observe the intensity of the inflammatory reaction caused by urine on the intestinal wall of rats. METHODS Experimental model, using 20 Wistar rats divided into two groups. All the animals were submitted to abdominal puncture at the right inferior quadrant, twice daily for five days. In Group I (control group) no substance was inoculated during the procedure, while in Group II (urine group), 3 ml of neonatal urine were inoculated. The animals were killed on the sixth day. A small-bowel specimen was fixed in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Microscopic analysis was performed by the same pathologist in all cases for determination of the degree of inflammatory reaction in the intestinal wall. RESULTS All animals completed the experiment. In group I (control group) serositis was observed in six animals and enteritis in one. In group II (urine group) serositis was observed in nine animals and enteritis in four. The groups were similar in terms of the intensity of the inflammatory reaction observed (p = 0.1). CONCLUSION The intra-abdominal inoculation of neonatal urine did not produce significant inflammatory reactions in the intestinal wall of rats.