title: Effects of thymosin β4 on a rat model of severe acute pancreatitis.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thymosin β4 on a rat model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) induced by sodium taurocholate (STC) and the underlying mechanism. SAP was induced by the retrograde infusion of 5% STC (1 ml/kg) into the bile-pancreatic duct. In certain rats, thymosin β4 (30 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 30 min prior to the infusion of STC. The severity of pancreatitis was evaluated by the measurement of serum amylase, lipase, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, and histological grading. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 protein expression in the pancreas was studied using western blot analysis. Prophylactic administration of thymosin β4 was found to attenuate serum amylase and lipase activity and the serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, it attenuated pathological pancreatic injury, pancreatic MPO activity, and the activation of NF-κB and ICAM-1 in the pancreas. These results suggest that thymosin β4 exerts a protective effect against STC-induced pancreatic injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wenyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Teng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kailiang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weixing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: acute pancreatitis; cytokine; inflammation; neutrophil infiltration; thymosin β4