Cyclosporin a, but not FK506, induces osmotic lysis of pancreas zymogen granules, intra-acinar enzyme release, and lysosome instability by activating K+ channel.

OBJECTIVES: The immunosuppressant tacrolimus (FK506) has improved pancreas allograft survival compared with cyclosporin A (CsA), possibly because of reduced acute pancreatitis following ischemia-reperfusion injury. Ion permeabilities in zymogen granule (ZG) membranes, including a KCNQ1 K channel, promote hormone-stimulated enzyme secretion. We investigated whether a differential modulation of ZG and lysosomal ion permeabilities and enzyme secretion by CsA/FK506 contributes to pancreatitis.
METHODS: Rat ZGs and lysosomes were isolated by gradient centrifugation, ion permeabilities assayed by osmotic lysis, and single-channel currents recorded in a planar lipid bilayer. Amylase release was measured in permeabilized acini and lysosomal cathepsin B release detected by immunoblotting.
RESULTS: CsA (1-10 μM), but not FK506, enhanced ZGs osmotic lysis by selectively increasing K permeability up to 5-fold. Zymogen granule membrane K channels showed ∼2-fold increased single-channel open probability with CsA only. Cyclosporin A selectively increased basal (∼2-fold), but not cholecystokinin-octapeptide (1 nM)-induced amylase secretion in K medium only. Cyclosporin A (5 μM), but not FK506, increased cathepsin B release from lysosomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Cyclosporin A selectively opens the ZG K channel and induces cathepsin B release from lysosomes, which cause increased in situ lysis of ZGs and may aggravate or fuel acute allograft pancreatitis following hypoxia-reperfusion injury.