BACKGROUND: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a serious systemic disease with a sustained high mortality rate. Extensive evidence has shown that gut barrier dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of SAP. AIM: Investigating the role of intestinal mucosa oxidative stress in gut barrier dysfunction of SAP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups with twelve mice each group. The SAP group mice received six intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 µg/kg) at 1-hour intervals, then given one intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS from E. coli) for inducing SAP. Normal saline was given to the mice of control group. The animals of each group were averaged to two batches. Four and eight hours after the final injection, respectively, mice were anesthetized and blood and tissue samples were harvested for examination. The pathological changes of pancreas and gut were observed and scored. The serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), amylase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in gut mucosa were detected. In gut mucosa, the caspase-3 activity was measured and the cell apoptosis and apoptosis index (AI) were determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and t-test. RESULTS: At four and eight hours after SAP induction, the SAP group mice had significantly higher pancreatic and gut pathological scores (p < 0.01) and increased serum levels of amylase (p < 0.05), DAO and TNF-α (p < 0.01) and increased MDA contents and XO activity of gut mucosa (p < 0.01) compared with those of control mice. There were significantly lower GSH contents (p < 0.05) and SOD activity (p < 0.01) of gut mucosa in the SAP mice. It was also observed that the gut mucosa cells of SAP mice had significantly higher caspase-3 activity and apoptosis index (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In SAP, waterfall-style release of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α led to ischemia-reperfusion injury of gut mucosa which resulted in serious oxidative stress and activation of caspase-3 pathway and severe apoptosis of gut mucosa. Therefore, intestinal mucosal oxidative stress may play an important role in the mechanism of gut barrier dysfunction.
BACKGROUND: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a serious systemic disease with a sustained high mortality rate. Extensive evidence has shown that gut barrier dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of SAP. AIM: Investigating the role of intestinal mucosa oxidative stress in gut barrier dysfunction of SAP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups with twelve mice each group. The SAP group mice received six intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 µg/kg) at 1-hour intervals, then given one intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS from E. coli) for inducing SAP. Normal saline was given to the mice of control group. The animals of each group were averaged to two batches. Four and eight hours after the final injection, respectively, mice were anesthetized and blood and tissue samples were harvested for examination. The pathological changes of pancreas and gut were observed and scored. The serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), amylase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in gut mucosa were detected. In gut mucosa, the caspase-3 activity was measured and the cell apoptosis and apoptosis index (AI) were determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and t-test. RESULTS: At four and eight hours after SAP induction, the SAP group mice had significantly higher pancreatic and gut pathological scores (p < 0.01) and increased serum levels of amylase (p < 0.05), DAO and TNF-α (p < 0.01) and increased MDA contents and XO activity of gut mucosa (p < 0.01) compared with those of control mice. There were significantly lower GSH contents (p < 0.05) and SOD activity (p < 0.01) of gut mucosa in the SAPmice. It was also observed that the gut mucosa cells of SAPmice had significantly higher caspase-3 activity and apoptosis index (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In SAP, waterfall-style release of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α led to ischemia-reperfusion injury of gut mucosa which resulted in serious oxidative stress and activation of caspase-3 pathway and severe apoptosis of gut mucosa. Therefore, intestinal mucosal oxidative stress may play an important role in the mechanism of gut barrier dysfunction.