Effects of gadolinium chloride and glycine on hepatic and pancreatic tissue damage in alcoholic pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
Systemic complications in alcoholic pancreatitis are supposed to be aggravated by inflammatory liver damage. Resident macrophages including hepatic Kupffer cells play a pivotal role in mediating systemic complications in severe necrotizing pancreatitis (SNP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Kupffer cell inhibition on the inflammatory liver damage in experimental alcoholic pancreatitis.


METHODS
Rats were fed with either alcohol or control diet for 6 weeks before induction of SNP. Animals were allocated into 4 groups: healthy controls, controls with SNP, SNP with gadolinium chloride or glycine (permanent vs temporary inhibition of hepatic Kupffer cells) prophylaxis. Hepatic microcirculation and morphologic damage of the liver and pancreas were assessed.


RESULTS
Alcohol feeding and SNP increased hepatic and pancreatic injury compared with SNP alone. Gadolinium chloride and glycine improved hepatic microcirculation. In contrast, pancreatic and hepatic morphological damage was reduced by gadolinium chloride but not by glycine.


CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol exposure aggravates hepatic and pancreatic injury in SNP. Gadolinium chloride reduces both microcirculatory and morphological damage, whereas glycine did not improve histological damage.
Schneider
Lutz
L
Department of General Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Hackert
Thilo
T
Longerich
Thomas
T
Hartwig
Werner
W
Fritz
Stefan
S
Krych
Ralf
R
Fortunato
Franco
F
Gebhard
Martha-Maria
MM
Werner
Jens
J
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018684:Glycine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008102:Liver Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D018684:Glycine Agents; D000431:Ethanol; D005682:Gadolinium; C038958:gadolinium chloride; D005998:Glycine