A rat model reproducing key pathological responses of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis
Journal Article
Although alcohol abuse is the major cause of chronic pancreatitis, the pathogenesis of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP) remains obscure. A critical obstacle to understanding the mechanism of ACP is lack of animal models. Our objective was to develop one such model. Rats were pair-fed for 8 wk ethanol or control Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet. For the last 2 wk, they received cyclosporin A (CsA; 20 mg/kg once daily) or vehicle. After 1 wk on CsA, one episode of acute pancreatitis was induced by four 20 μg/kg injections of cerulein (Cer); controls received saline. Pancreas was analyzed 1 wk after the acute pancreatitis. CsA or Cer treatments alone did not result in pancreatic injury in either control (C)- or ethanol (E)-fed rats. We found, however, that alcohol dramatically aggravated pathological effect of the combined CsA+Cer treatment on pancreas, resulting in massive loss of acinar cells, persistent inflammatory infiltration, and fibrosis. Macrophages were prominent in the inflammatory infiltrate. Compared with control-fed C+CsA+Cer rats, their ethanol-fed E+CsA+Cer counterparts showed marked increases in pancreatic NF-κB activation and cytokine/chemokine mRNA expression, collagen and fibronectin, the expression and activities of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, and activation of pancreatic stellate cells. Thus we have developed a model of alcohol-mediated postacute pancreatitis that reproduces three key responses of human ACP: loss of parenchyma, sustained inflammation, and fibrosis. The results indicate that alcohol impairs recovery from acute pancreatitis, suggesting a mechanism by which alcohol sensitizes pancreas to chronic injury. Copyright © 2008 the American Physiological Society.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Gukovsky, I; Lugea, A; Shahsahebi, M; Cheng, JH; Hong, PP; Jung, YJ; Deng, Q-G; French, BA; Lungo, W; French, SW; Tsukamoto, H; Pandol, SJ
Published Date
- 2007
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 294 / 1
Start / End Page
- G68 - G79
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0193-1857
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1152/ajpgi.00006.2007