The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of two prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogues, misoprostol and enisoprost, to alter bacterial translocation following burn injury. Balb/c mice were treated with misoprostol (n = 36) or enisoprost (n = 36) for 3 days with different doses (20 or 200 micrograms/kg/day) prior to receiving a 20% full-thickness burn and simultaneous gavage with 1 x 10(10) 14C-Escherichia coli. Animals were sacrificed 4 and 24 hr postburn, and blood, peritoneal fluid, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and lungs were harvested aseptically. Radionuclide counts, number of viable bacteria, and percentage of translocating bacteria remaining alive in each tissue suggested that the high doses of misoprostol or enisoprost decreased the magnitude of 14C-E. coli translocation, while the low dose of both drugs enhanced bacterial clearance. Therefore, both misoprostol and enisoprost reduce bacterial translocation, and modulate bacterial clearance in a dose-dependent manner.