Oxidative Stress and NO Generation in Cerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Rats

Abstract

The interaction between nitric oxide (NO) and superoxides is critical in the development of pancreatitis. Previously, we reported on the up-regulation of oxidative stress and NO-synthase (NOS) in the human chronic pancreatitis and in an animal model of pancreatitis induced by pancreatic duct ligation (PDL) in rats. We have shown that oxidative stress runs ahead of NOS up-regulation, which implies that the NO enhancement in the course of pancreatitis is likely to be an adaptive mechanism aimed at maintaining the homeostatic cellular level of the bioactive NO. Here, we report on the expression of NOS and oxidative stress markers (nitrotyrosine and 8-hydroxyguanosine) in the course of cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats. We found that the pattern of superoxides/NO interaction in this model of acute pancreatitis is similar to that in the PDL-induced rat pancreatitis and in the human chronic pancreatitis. It means that cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis like the PDL-induced pancreatitis is a proper model for further studies of pancreatitis development in humans.