title: Pancreatic injury in rabbits with acute renal failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common critical disorder. To decrease the mortality, it is important to prevent ARF from invading other organs in clinical setting. It is not known whether there is a dysfunction in pancreas during the pathogenesis of ARF. This study aimed to investigate the changes of morphology and function on pancreas in ARF rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. The ARF model of groups 1 and 2 rabbits was established by hypodermic injection of 1% HgCl(2) (1.3 mL/kg) and intramuscular injection of 50% glyceritum (10 mL/kg), respectively. The control groups 1 and 2 were injected with same volume of normal saline. After 24 hours, urea and creatinine contents and pancreatic amylase (AMY) activities in serum were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer; the insulin levels were measured with radioimmunoassay method. Moreover, morphological alterations were examined by light microscopy; free radicals, nitric oxide (NO), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in pancreas homogenate were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morphological study showed that there were vacuolar degeneration and necrosis in pancreas of ARF for both groups 1 and 2. Compared with corresponding control group, the AMY activity was significantly elevated, whereas the INS values were decreased significantly in ARF groups 1 and 2. Malonaldehyde, NO, and NOS in pancreas homogenate were significantly increased, and superoxide dismutase activity was decreased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggested that there were morphological damage of pancreas and disturbance of pancreatic secretion function in rabbits with ARF. Free radicals-injury and NO excessive release may explain the observed dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microcirculation, Hebei North University, Hebei Zhangjiakou 075029, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chun-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Yu-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ya-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Hui-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D005990:Glycerol