The elimination of trypsin-α-macroglobulin complexes from the blood circulation in pigs during acute pancreatitis and after massive intravenous trypsin infusion

Abstract

The elimination from plasma of intravenously injected ¹²⁵I-labelled trypsin-α-macroglobulin complexes was studied in both healthy and diseased, anaesthetized pigs. The t_1/2 for the ¹²⁵I-labelled complexes was 5–10 min in healthy pigs as well as in two groups of pancreatitis pigs. Pre-loading of the eliminating capacity by massive intravenous trypsin infusion, raised t_1/2 to 80–100 min. Thus, the eliminating capacity seems to be saturable. Elimination of the complexes from the blood circulation occurred within 4–5 h. Even massive intravenous amounts of trypsin-α-macroglobulin complexes gave no demonstrable complement or kinin activation. Neither were other deleterious effects seen during the experiment or during 7 days of follow-up. The results indicate that treatment of acute pancreatitis in humans with α₂-macroglobulin might be possible, without any danger arising from the protease-α₂-macroglobulin complexes formed.

Key words:

• pancreatitis
• porcine
• protease inhibitors
• reticuloendothelial system
• swine
• trypsin
• trypsin elimination/blood
• trypsin inhibitors