Experimental study on acute pancreatitis associated intestinal mucosal damage induced by L-arginine in mice.

Objective To explore the role of TNF-α and ICAM-1 in mice with acute pancreatitis (AP) associated intestinal damage induced by L-arginine. Methods AP was induced in mice by administration of two intraperitoneal injections of 2 g/kg body weight L-arginine at a 1-h interval. 12 h after the second injection, serum amylase was assayed by colorimetry, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) of the intestinal tissue was determined by radioimmunoassay, and 24 h after the second injection, histopathological changes in the pancreatic and the intestinal tissues were observed. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in intestinal mucosal tissue was characterized by immunohistochemistry. Results Histological results revealed that there were typical pathological changes of acinar and intestinal mucosa in the AP group. Compared with the control group, serum amylase activity, content of TNF-α and ICAM-1 expression in the intestinal tissue significantly increased in the AP group. Conclusions TNF-α and ICAM-1 may play important roles in acute pancreatitis associated intestinal mucosal damage in mice.