Serum angiotensin converting enzyme levels in pancreatic diseases.
OBJECTIVE
Recently, the existence of a local renin angiotensin system (RAS) in the pancreas has been demonstrated in laboratory animals as well as in human. It has been suggested that RAS and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity increase in diseases involving pancreas tissue. In the present study, we analyzed the relationship between serum ACE levels and pancreas disorders including acute and chronic pancreatitis, and pancreas adenocancer.


METHODS
The study groups comprised 14 cases with acute pancreatitis (male/female: 5/9), 38 chronic pancreatitis patients (male/female: 25/13) and 21 pancreas adenocancer cases (male/female: 11/10). The ACE activity in the sample was determined by comparing the sample reaction rate to that obtained with the ACE calibrator.


RESULTS
Serum ACE levels were 38.28 +/- 23.67 U/L (10-108), 43.71 +/- 23.58 UL (7-120), 39.14 +/- 19.31 U/L (5-77) and 38.04 +/- 13.69 U/L for patients with acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreas cancer and healthy controls respectively. Serum ACE levels were not significantly different among all groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference regarding ACE levels in patients with metastasis and without metastasis. There was no correlation between ACE levels and tumor size.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed that serum ACE levels increased in neither benign nor malignant pancreas diseases. However, serum ACE levels may not reflect the actual RAS activity because non-ACE pathways affecting RAS activity have been described. Further studies analyzing non-ACE pathways contributing to RAS activity in human pancreatic disorders are needed.
Ibiş
Mehmet
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Türkiye Yüksek Ihtisas Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Yüksel
Osman
O
Yilmaz
Gülsen
G
Köklü
Seyfettin
S
Yilmaz
Fatma Meriç
FM
Ertuğrul
Ibrahim
I
Uçar
Engin
E
Altiparmak
Mehmet Emin
ME
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000201:enzymology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000201:enzymology; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000201:enzymology; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood*; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000502:physiology
D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A