Development of acute pancreatitis in rats after single ethanol administration and induction of a pancreatic juice edema.

The effect of an acute gastral ethanol application and an additional induction of a pancreatic juice edema by an obstruction/hyperstimulation mechanism was studied in rats. Neither ethanol administration nor the combination of ductal obstruction and secretory stimulation resulted in an acute pancreatitis when applied independently. A combination of these factors, however, led to the development of AP in two-thirds of the rats treated in this manner. Its severity was evaluated by the degree of extrapancreatic fat necrosis, the increase in serum amylase and lipase activities, and by histologic investigations. It is assumed that a pancreatic juice edema, provoked by pancreatic secretion at temporary ductal obstruction, could be an important cofactor in formation of ethanol-induced acute pancreatitis.