title: Protecting effects of dexamethasone on thymus of rats with severe acute pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the protecting effects of dexamethasone on thymus of rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  The SAP rats were randomly assigned to the model group and dexamethasone-treated group, the other normal healthy rats were assigned to the sham operation group. The rat survival, thymus pathological changes, apoptotic index, as well as expression levels of NF-kappaB, P-selectin, Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3 protein of all groups were observed, respectively, at 3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours. The contents of amylase and endotoxin in plasma as well as the contents of TNF-alpha, PLA2, and NO in serum were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no marked difference between the model group and treated group in survival. The contents of different indexes in blood of treated group were lower than those of the model group to various degrees at different time points. The thymus pathological score was lower in treated group than in model group at 12 hours. The treated group in Caspase-3 protein expression of thymus significantly exceeded the model group at 12 hours. The apoptotic index was significantly higher in treated group than in model group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dexamethasone has protecting effects on thymus of SAP rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China. zxp99688@vip.163.com
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiping
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hua
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003907:Dexamethasone; D053148:Caspase 3