title: Effects of octreotide on acute pancreatitis of varying severity in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out the effects of the octreotide on the course of acute pancreatitis in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical school, Turkey
  
  
  METHODS
  184 Sprague-Dawley rats, 120 of which were randomly allocated into 8 groups of 15 each for the survival study, and the remainder of which were randomly allocated into 8 groups of 8 rats each for assessment of biochemical variables and histological score.
  
  
  METHODS
  The same 8 groups were used for the two parts of the study: saline alone (control), octreotide alone (control), oedematous pancreatitis induced by cerulein with and without octreotide, moderate pancreatitis induced by low-dose glycodeoxycholic acid and cerulein with and without octreotide, and severe pancreatitis induced by high-dose glycodeoxycholic acid and cerulein with and without octreotide.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mortality, results of biochemical tests, and histological score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No rats in the control groups died. Of those with oedematous pancreatitis 1 died that had not been given octreotide (7%) and 2 that had (13%). In the moderate pancreatitis groups 4 that had not been given octreotide died (27%) compared with one that had (7%). In the severe pancreatitis group 7 that had not had octreotide died (46%) compared with 6 that had (40%). Octreotide caused a reduction in serum amylase and lactate dehydrogenase activity in all groups, but reduced aspartate aminotransferase only in those rats with moderate pancreatitis. It prevented hypocalcaemia in rats with severe pancreatitis, but had no effect on serum electrolyte concentrations, alkaline phosphatase activity, or blood gas analyses. Rats with moderate pancreatitis that had been given octreotide had less tissue oedema, acinar necrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. In those with severe pancreatitis there was less tissue oedema but more acinar necrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If octreotide is given early in the course of the disease it may result in improved outcome, but it seems to be ineffective in severe pancreatitis in which acinar necrosis is already established.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Küçüktülü
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alhan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erçin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cinel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calik
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D015282:Octreotide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D015282:Octreotide