Nitric oxide protects against pancreatic and renal injury in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis and hyperlipidemia

AIM: To determine whether nitric oxide (NO) protects against pancreatic and renal injury in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and hyperlipidemia.

METHODS: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks to induce hyperlipidemia. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: group A (hyperlipidemia + ANP + normal saline), group B ( hyperlipidemia + ANP + L-arg), and group C (hyperlipidemia + ANP + L-Name). ANP was induced by retrograde injection of 3.5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. Each group was treated 30 min before and 2 h after ANP induction. At 6 h after ANP induction, serum amylase (Amyl), creatinine (Cr), urea nitrogen (BUN), NO, and pancreatic NO and endothelial nitric oxide synthetase (eNOS) were measured; pancreatic histopathology was detected by light microscopy; ultrastructure of glomerular podocytes was observed by election microscopy; and expression of nephrin in glomerular podocytes was examined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS: Serum Amyl, Cr and BUN in group B were significantly lower than those in groups A and C (Amyl: 4 219.8 ± 900.0, 6 643.2 ± 1 135.4 vs 2 434.4 ± 831.6; Cr: 15.8 ± 1.6, 22.4 ± 3.3 vs 9.9 ± 0.8; BUN: 135.9 ± 23.6, 206.4 ± 23.4 vs 103.2 ± 13.2; all P < 0.01). Pancreatic injury and changes in glomerular podocytes were milder in group B than in groups A and C. The levels of serum and pancreatic NO (59.46 ± 11.21, 44.84 ± 10.72 vs 78.88 ± 9.76; 5.23 ± 0.48, 4.39 ± 0.45 vs 6.18 ± 0.57; all P < 0.01) and pancreatic eNOS, and expression of nephrin in glomerular podocytes were significantly higher in group B than in groups A and C.

CONCLUSION: NO produced by eNOS can protect against pancreatic and renal injury in rats with ANP and hyperlipidemia.