Effects of chronic alcohol intake and secretory stimulation on sodium taurocholate-induced pancreatic necrosis in the rat.

The effects of long-term alcohol intake and pancreatic secretory stimulation on pancreatic necrosis were studied in rats with acute pancreatitis induced by an intraductal injection of sodium taurocholate. Neither alcohol nor pancreozymin alone influenced the extent of pancreatic tissue damage in this experimental model. However, when animals were exposed to both alcohol and pancreozymin, the tissue lesions induced by the bile salt were wider than those in the presence of either alcohol or secretory stimulation alone. The results indicate that secretory stimulation with pancreozymin superimposed on chronic alcohol intake sensitizes the pancreas to the injury caused by intraductal bile salt administration.