Extrapancreatic organ impairment in caerulein induced pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
Multiorgan function failures are the major fatal complications in acute pancreatitis. In this experiment, we studied 1) the manifestation and time course of extrapancreatic organ damage in an acute pancreatitis model and 2) whether the obstructive liver damage in this model is caused by the obstruction of common biliopancreatic duct compressed by oedematous pancreas.


METHODS
80 male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control and caerulein groups (five subgroups in each group). In the caerulein group, the acute pancreatitis was induced by caerulein intraperitoneal injections. In the controls equal volume of saline was injected. Two subgroups, one in caerulein and one in control groups, had an intrapancreatic bile duct stent inserted transduodenally before the injections. The pancreas, liver, lung and kidney tissues and blood samples were obtained for the measurement or analysis of interstitial oedema, plasma amylase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood gas and electron microscopy at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours after the last injection in unstented animals, and at 6 hours in stented animals.


RESULTS
Lungs and kidney remained unchanged. Liver damage was found during the first 6-12 hours, manifest as increased plasma alanine aminotransferase and bilirubin and dilatation of bile canaliculi and hepatocyte damage in electron microscopy. The intrapancreatic bile duct stent did not resolve these changes.


CONCLUSIONS
The liver may be the first evolved extrapancreatic organ in the early stage in this mild oedematous pancreatitis model and the hepatocyte damage is not caused by the obstruction of common biliopancreatic duct compressed by the oedematous pancreas.
Department of Surgery, Medical School University of Tampere, Finland.
Z J
ZJ
He
M P
MP
Matikainen
H
H
Alho
A
A
Harmoinen
T
T
Ahola
I
I
Nordback
D000818:Animals; D002108:Ceruletide / Q000633:toxicity*; D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015607:Stents
D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D002108:Ceruletide