Pulmonary injuries and cytokine levels after the intraperitoneal administration of pancreatic homogenates in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to investigate the effects of the administration of pancreatic homogenates, with or without enzymatic activation, to healthy animals regarding cytokine serum levels and the development of pulmonary distress. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 106 male Wistar rats, divided into three groups, were studied: group A, intraperitoneal administration of homogenates activated with enterokinase; group B, homogenates without enterokinase; and group C, control group with administration of physiological saline solution. Each group was divided into 4 subgroups according to the time of sacrifice: 0, 2, 6 and 24 hours. We studied the pulmonary and pancreatic histology, serum parameters of renal and hepatic function, and serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNFalpha. RESULTS: There was no mortality in any group. Pancreatic disorders in A and B groups were noted at 24 hours. These two groups had statistically significant higher transaminase serum levels than those of the control group, as well as statistically significant higher creatinine levels in group A. IL-1beta showed a statistically significant higher level at 6 h in both groups, A and B, but was higher in group A, which also exhibited significant pulmonary histologic damage with respect to controls at 6 h. CONCLUSIONS: The higher IL-1beta level in group A may result from production by peritoneal macrophages under the influence of homogenate enzymatic activation. This may be the reason for lung damage.

Lung changes and cytokine levels in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis.

AIM: Prognosis of acute pancreatitis is related mainly to systemic involvement. The establishment of this systemic inflammation is mediated by proinflammatory cytokines. Our aim is to study serum levels of some proinflammatory cytokines and the associated damage of the lung in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eighty seven male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: group A (control) with saline solution administration; group B with acute pancreatitis induced by intraperitoneal caerulein (50 mg/kg every hour, 4 doses). The animals were killed at 0, 2, 6 and 24 hours of the last dose of caerulein or saline solution. Pancreatic and pulmonary histology were examined, and serum levels of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were evaluated, as well as some laboratory parameters as indicators of systemic involvement. RESULTS: The administration of caerulein induced an acute edematous pancreatitis without mortality and with a trend towards resolution in 24 hours. IL-1 beta in animals with acute pancreatitis showed significantly higher levels than in the control group at 6 hours. Serum transaminases, urea and creatinine were also significantly higher at 2 and 6 h. The group with acute pancreatitis showed histological lung damage all over the study. CONCLUSIONS: In our model of acute pancreatitis we observed systemic involvement as judged by alterations of serum transaminases and parameters of renal function, as well as histological lung damage, that correlated with an increase in serum levels of IL-1b.

Afectación pulmonar y niveles de citocinas en un modelo de pancreatitis aguda experimental / Lung changes and cytokine levels in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis

Objetivo: el pronóstico de la pancreatitis aguda está condicionado principalmente por la afectación de órganos a distancia. El establecimiento de esta inflamación sistémica está mediada por citocinas proinflamatorias. Nuestro objetivo es estudiar los niveles séricos de algunas citocinas proinflamatorias y la lesión pulmonar asociada en un modelo de pancreatitis aguda experimental.Diseño experimental: ratas wistar macho (87) divididas en dos grupos: grupo A control con administración de suero fisiológico y grupo B con pancreatitis aguda inducida por ceruleína intraperitoneal (4 dosis de 50 mg/kg a intervalos horarios). Los animales fueron sacrificados a las 0, 2, 6 y 24 horas de la última administración de ceruleína o suero fisiológico. Se estudió la histología pancreática y pulmonar y se evaluaron los niveles séricos de IL-1 , TNF- e IL-6 y diversos parámetros de laboratorio indicadores de afectación sistémica.R e s u l t a d o s : se indujo una pancreatitis aguda edematosa exenta de mortalidad con tendencia a la resolución a las 24 h. En los animales con pancreatitis aguda los niveles de IL-1 fueron significativamente más elevados que en los controles a las 6 h. La determinación de transaminasas, urea y creatinina presentó elevaciones significativas a las 2 y 6 h también en los animales con pancreatitis.El grupo con pancreatitis evidenció alteraciones histológicas pulmonares en todos los tiempos respecto del grupo control.Conclusiones: en nuestro modelo de pancreatitis aguda se observaron repercusiones sistémicas definidas por la alteración de las transaminasas, parámetros de función renal y las alteraciones histológicas pulmonares, correlacionadas éstas últimas con el in cremento de IL-1 (AU)