title: An ultrastructural study to investigate the effect of allopurinol on cerulein-induced damage to pancreatic acinar cells in rat.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Subcellular organelles and membranes were the structures most protected by allopurinol, indirectly demonstrating their role of main and early target of oxygen-derived free radicals in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The present work evaluates the ultrastructural changes during cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rat, with and without treatment with allopurinol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supramaximal doses of cerulein, injected intraperitoneally (50 microg/kg) twice, at 1-h interval, caused severe subcellular alterations, including zymogen distribution, pathological vacuoles, and damage to organelles and membranes. Cotreatment (40 mg/kg ip twice with 1-h interval; n = 10 rats) and, most of all, pretreatment (40 mg/kg ip allopurinol, 1 h; 20 mg/kg ip allopurinol + 50 microg/kg ip cerulein, 30 min; 40 mng/kg ip allopurinol, 30 min; 50 microg/kg ip cerulein; n = 10 rats) with allopurinol showed significant morphological improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research Nino Masera and University of Ancona School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scutti
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000493:Allopurinol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002108:Ceruletide / Q000633:toxicity*; D005609:Free Radicals; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D000493:Allopurinol; D002108:Ceruletide