An ultrastructural study to investigate the effect of allopurinol on cerulein-induced damage to pancreatic acinar cells in rat.

CONCLUSION: Subcellular organelles and membranes were the structures most protected by allopurinol, indirectly demonstrating their role of main and early target of oxygen-derived free radicals in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis.
BACKGROUND: The present work evaluates the ultrastructural changes during cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rat, with and without treatment with allopurinol. METHODS AND
RESULTS: Supramaximal doses of cerulein, injected intraperitoneally (50 microg/kg) twice, at 1-h interval, caused severe subcellular alterations, including zymogen distribution, pathological vacuoles, and damage to organelles and membranes. Cotreatment (40 mg/kg ip twice with 1-h interval; n = 10 rats) and, most of all, pretreatment (40 mg/kg ip allopurinol, 1 h; 20 mg/kg ip allopurinol + 50 microg/kg ip cerulein, 30 min; 40 mng/kg ip allopurinol, 30 min; 50 microg/kg ip cerulein; n = 10 rats) with allopurinol showed significant morphological improvement.