The Severity of Acute Lung Injury in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis

Kim, Kwang Hee; Kim, Chang Duck; Kim, Young Sik; Hyun, Jin Hai

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
About 60% of all deaths due to acute pancreatitis occur within the first 7 days of onset and associated with acute lung injuries. Lung injury include pulmonary infiltration, pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, and adult respiratory ditress syndrome. But it is unclear whether the acute lung injury is related with severity of pancreatitis. In this study, we have evaluated the association between acute lung injury and severity of pancreatitis in experimental acute pacreatitis.
METHODS
Twenty-one male Sprague-Dawley rat (200-250 g B.wt) were used. There were three groups: control (group 1, n=7), edematous pancreatitis (group 2, n=7), and necrotizing pancreatitis (group 3, n=7). For inducing a edematous pancreatitis, rat was received a 4 hour intravenous infusion of cerulein (5micro/kg/hr). For a necrotizing pancreatitis, rat was received intraductal injection of taurocholate (5%, 0.1ml/100 g B.wt). After pancreatitis was induced, the pancreas, lung and blood were prepared for biochemical and histologic changes each other. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was also taken.
RESULTS
Cerulein induced edematous pancreatitis and taurocholate induced necrotizing pancreatitis. Amylase was significantly increased in edematous and necrotizing pancreatitis. BAL findings showed that neutrophil was increased from 2% to 49% in necrotizing pancreatitis. The severity of lung injury was more severe in necrotizing pancreatitis than edematous pancreatitis.
CONCLUSION
These observations suggest that the lung injury was strongly associated with severity of acute pancreatitis and neutrophil may be capable of important role in the development of lung injury.