title: Liver injury during acute pancreatitis: the role of pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid (PAAF), p38-MAPK, and caspase-3 in inducing hepatocyte apoptosis.
abstract: We have demonstrated that pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid contributes to hepatocyte injury during acute pancreatitis; a phenomenon independent of ascites' enzymatic content and Kupffer cell-derived cytokines. Our aim is to characterize the mechanisms of pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid induced hepatocyte death. NIH mice were injected intraperitoneally with pathogen-free pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid. Twenty-four hours later, serum AST, ALT, LDH, and hepatocyte apoptosis (TUNEL) were measured. Human hepatocytes (CCL-13) were treated with pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid +/-SB203580 or caspase-3 inhibitor-II. Mitochondrial membrane integrity was determined by DiOC6 staining. Apoptosis was measured by TUNEL staining and flow cytometry after dual labeling with Annexin-V/7-AAD. Data are mean +/- SEM of triplicates. Pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid increased serum AST, ALT, LDH, and apoptotic cells in the mouse liver (all P < 0.03 vs. sham). In CCL-13 cells, pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid induced a time and dose-dependent increase in apoptosis, in addition to p38-MAPK phosphorylation (P = 0.02 vs. control), caspase-3 cleavage (P < 0.03 vs. control) and decreased DiOC6 mitochondrial staining (P < 0.01 vs. control). Both caspase-3 inhibitor-II and SB203580 decreased apoptosis, but the former had no effect on DiOC6 staining. Pancreatitis-associated ascitic fluid induces liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis by activating p38-MAPK and caspase-3 dependent pro-apoptotic pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33601, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fier
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Gouqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Epling-Burnette
authors.forename: Fanqi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Loughran
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mastorides
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Michel M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Murr
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications*; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases