The Effect of Interleukin-10 on Acute Pancreatitis Induced by Cerulein in a Rat Experimental Model

Abstract

To investigate whether interleukin-10, a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine, could have a therapeutic effect on rats on that were made pancreatitis by cerulein. Thirty Wistar Albino rats were randomized into sham, pancreatitis, and therapy groups (n = 10 in each). Nothing was applied to the sham group; pancreatitis by injecting cerulein (50 μ g/kg/h) was induced in the pancreatitis and therapy groups. Interleukin-10 (10.000 U) was injected at 1 and 4 h after pancreatitis inductions in the therapy group. The rats were sacrificed at postoperative hour 24. The following parameters were investigated: the leukocyte count, blood glucose, amylase, lipase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in the blood samples; histopathological search, and wet/dry weight ratios of the pancreas tissues. The ratio of wet/dry pancreatic tissue weight, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, amylase and lipase levels, and histologic damage scores in the pancreatitis and therapy groups were significantly higher when they were compared with the sham group (p <. 01). However, all of these values were significantly lower in the therapy groups than in the pancreatitis group (p <. 01). Interleukin-10 decreases pancreatic tissue injury induced by cerulein-induced pancreatitis in rats. Nevertheless, more experimental studies are needed to compare endogenous interleukin-10 with exogenous interleukin-10 effects before clinical usage of this drug.

Keywords:

• acute pancreatitis
• cerulein
• experimental
• IL-10
• therapy
• TNF-α