Nuclear factor-kappa B regulation on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA in acute pancreatitis

Objective To explore the role of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)in regulating tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)expression in acute pancreatitis (AP)in rats.Methods Sixty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups:the control group(n=32)and the AP group(n=32).Acute pancreatitis was induced by introperitoneal injection of caerulein,and the animals were killded at 12 hours,24 hours,36 hours,and 72 hours respectively.The activity of NF-κB and expression of TNF-α mRNA in the pancreas were determined by flow cytometry (FCM) method and semi-quantitave RT-PCR analysis,respectively,and the correlation coefficients were analyzed.Results The levels of activated NF-κB protein and TNF-αmRNA were all significantly higher in the AP group than those in the control group at any time point(P0.01).The correlation coefficients demonstrated a significant correlation between the levels of activated NF-κB protein and TNF-α mRNA(P0.05).Conclusion The activation of pancreatic NF-κB is associated with the pancreatic injury by regulating TNF-α mRNA expression in acute pancreatitis.