Mononuclear phagocytic system in acute pancreatitis

1. Functional alterations of the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of infection in acute pancreatitis (AP). In the present study, MPS activity was investigated in rats and hepatic blood flow (HBF) was also determined. 2. A total of 122 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: 1, AP group (N = 51); 2, sham-operated (SO) (N = 49); 3, intact group (IG) (N = 22). AP was induced by retrograde injection of 0.5 ml of 2.5 per cent sodium taurocholate saline into the main biliopancreatic duct under ketamine chloride anesthesia. SO animals were submitted to the same surgical steps as AP animals except for AP induction. 3. Each experimental group was subdivided into two subgroups. The first subgroup was submitted to the study of MPS activity as follows: each group was injected with colloidal 198Au and liver clearance parameters were determined 2 h (N = 11), 12 h (N = 10) and 24 h (N = 10) later in the AP group, and 2 h (N = 9), 12 h (N = 10) and 24 h (N = 11) later in the SO group. In the second subgroup, HBF was assessed using 131I-bromosulphalein at 2 h (N = 10) and 24 h (N = 10) in the AP group and at 2 h (N = 10) and 24 h (N = 10) in the SO group. The IG was submitted to both radioactive tracer studies. Each animal was used for only one experiment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Modifications of tissue blood flow in acute pancreatitis

I.Acute pancreatitis (AP) was induced by ductal injection of 2.5% sodium taurocholate saline solution. Plasma and red blood cell (RBC) volume and visceral organ blood flow were evaluated by a radioisotopic method (51Cr tracers) in 45 adult male Wistar rats (22 submitted to AP and 23 controls) 4 h after AP induction. 51Cr-albumin was used to measure plasma volume and 51Cr-RBC was used to measure RBC volume. II.Changes in tissue hematocrit reflect alterations in tissue blood flow, since reduction in blood flow increases microvascular erythrocyte sequestration. To evaluate the tissue blood flow, we introduce a "tissuehematocrit index" calculated relating 51Cr-RBC and 51Cr-albumin specific activities measured in visceral organ biopsies. Application of this index to the control and AP groups showed a decrease in blood flow in all visceral organs of the AP group which was reflected by an increase in tissue hematocrit index (2.5-fold for kidneys, 2-fold for pancreas and lungs, 1.6-fold for liver, and 1.2-fold for spleen). III.As expected there was an increase in blood hematocrit and a decrease in plasma volume in the AP group, but there were no significant alterations in RBC volume. However, an unequal decrease in blood flow in various tissues such as kidneys, lungs, pancreas and liver was detected in the AP group. IV.This approach provides an easy and simple way to evaluate possible therapeutic protocols for the treatment of acute panreatitis by measuring effects on visceral blood flow and plasma and blood volumes