Mechanism of acute pancreatitis: Cellular and subcellular events

Potential role of NADPH oxidase-mediated activation of Jak2/Stat3 and mitogen-activated protein kinases and expression of TGF-β1 in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE

NADPH oxidase is potentially associated with acute pancreatitis by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). We investigated whether NADPH oxidase mediates the activation of Janus kinase (Jak)2/signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat)3 and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) to induce the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells.

TREATMENT

AR42J cells were treated with an NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) or a Jak2 inhibitor AG490. Other cells were transfected with antisense or sense oligonucleotides (AS or S ODNs) for NADPH oxidase subunit p22(phox) or p47(phox).

METHODS

TGF-β1 was determined by enzyme-linked immonosorbent assay. STAT3-DNA binding activity was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Levels of MAPKs as well as total and phospho-specific forms of Jak1/Stat3 were assessed by Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Cerulein induced increases in TGF-β1, Stat3-DNA binding activity and the activation of MAPKs in AR42J cells. AG490 suppressed these cerulein-induced changes, similar to inhibition by DPI. Cerulein-induced activation of Jak2/Stat3 and increases in MAPKs and TGF-β1 levels were inhibited in the cells transfected with AS ODN for p22(phox) and p47(phox) compared to S ODN controls.

CONCLUSION

Inhibition of NADPH oxidase may be beneficial for prevention and treatment of pancreatitis by suppressing Jak2/Stat3 and MAPKs and expression of TGF-β1 in pancreatic acinar cells.

Chapter 5 Role of lysosomes in cell injury

Lysosomes are acidic intracellular vacuoles of heterogeneous shape, size, and content. Lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes that degrade proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids derived from intracellular (through autophagy) and extracellular (through heterophagy) sources. Lysosomal degradation regulates several physiological cell functions. These include turnover of cellular organelles and extracellular constituents; amino acid and glucose homeostasis; processing of proteins; lipid metabolism; cell growth, differentiation, and involution; host defenses against microorganisms and other pathogens; and removal of necrotic and foreign material from the circulation and from tissues.

Lysosomal degradation also plays an important role in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic cell injury, inflammation and repair, and tumor growth and metastasis. The participation of the lysosomes in the specific types of cell injury we have discussed is due to altered regulation of one or more of the following processes: turnover of cellular organelles by autophagic degradation; levels and activities of lysosomal hydrolases; levels of intracellular and extracellular lysosomal hydrolase inhibitors; transport of degradation products from the lysosomal matrix to the cytosol; permeability of the lysosomal membrane to hydrolases; lysosomal vacuolar acidification; transport of degradable substrates and of pathogens to the lysosomes; transport and processing of secretory proteins and lysosomal hydrolases during biogenesis; traffic and fusion of lysosomal vacuoles and vesicles; secretion of lysosomal hydrolases; and accumulation of metals, particularly iron, acidotropic agents, and undegraded and/or undegradable materials in lysosomes.

Xanthine oxidase activation in cerulein- and taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis in rats

Oxygen free radicals (OFR) are postulated to play a role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis. The aim of this work was to examine the role of xanthine oxidase in the generation of OFR and the activity of the endogenous defense mechanisms as reflected by pancreatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in a model of edematous pancreatitis induced in rats by administration of cerulein at supramaximal doses, as well as in necrohemorrhagic model induced by intraductal administration of sodium taurocholate. Comparison between these two models of pancreatitis suggests important differences in origin and importance in the evolution of injury. In necrohemorrhagic pancreatitis OFR can be produced by xanthine oxidase activity probably associated to cell death. By contrast, in cerulein induced pancreatitis, other sources of oxygen free radicals, such as inflammatory cells, can be of more importance.

Pancreatic phospholipase A2 in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in the rat

We investigated the concentration of immunoreactive pancreatic phospholipase A2 (pan-PLA2) and the catalytic activity of phospholipase A2 (CA-PLA2) in plasma and pancreases of rats with cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. Edematous pancreatitis with ascites and fat necroses in the abdominal cavity developed after 8 h infusion of cerulein (5 micrograms/kg/h). Large vacuoles were found in acinar cells and there were small areas of acinar cell necrosis. No pathological changes were seen in saline-infused control animals. Pancreatic PLA2 was localized by immunohistochemistry in pancreatic acinar cells in both groups of animals and in the proximal tubular cells of the kidney in cerulein-infused animals. The lungs and kidneys appeared normal by light microscopy in all animals. The pan-PLA2 values increased markedly, whereas the CA-PLA2 values did not change during the cerulein-infusion. The CA-PLA2 values in the homogenates of pancreatic tissue of cerulein-infused animals did not differ significantly from those of saline-infused controls. The results indicate that the CA-PLA2 in plasma is independent from the concentration of pan-PLA2 in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rat.