title: Endoplasmic reticulum stress may not be involved in intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis in experimental acute pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is activated in the intestinal epithelium of acute pancreatitis (AP), and whether it is one of the inducing factors of the intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis in AP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into two groups. AP was induced via retrograde injection of 3 % sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. As a control group, rats received a sham operation. Forty-eight hours after the operation, the ultrastructural changes of ileal epithelial cells were investigated by transmission electron microscope. The protein expressions of GRP78, CHOP, caspase-12, and JNK in the ileal epithelium were determined by immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis was determined by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling. The mRNA expressions of GRP78, CHOP, caspase-12, and JNK in the ileal epithelium were determined using quantitative RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ileal epithelium in rats with AP had significantly higher apoptotic cells compared with that of the control rats (P < 0.05). ER stress was activated in the ileal epithelium, which was characterized by dilated, irregular ER and upregulated expressions of GRP78 mRNA and protein. The mRNA and protein expressions of CHOP, caspase-12, and JNK in rats with AP were similar to that in the control rats (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ER stress is induced in intestinal epithelium during AP; however, ER stress is not likely to be involved in the apoptosis of the intestinal epithelium during AP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou City, 646000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hong-Xian
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiang-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xiang-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D059865:Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers