Serum inflammatory cytokines in liver injury of rat acute pancreatitis

Objective To investigate serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in liver injury of acute pancreatitis (AP)in rats. Methods Thirty-six SD rats were randomly allocated into acute pancreatitis group (AP group) and sham operation group (SO group). The histopathological changes of the pancreas were observed by light microscopy at 3h, 6h and 12h after operation for both AP group and SO group, the pathological changes of liver were examined under light microscope and electron microscope. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were determined by radio immunoassay (RIA) and IL-10 by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA); Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was also measured. Results Histopathologic examination revealed the occurrence of pancreatic inflammation and pathological changes of liver in AP group. With the development of AP, the serum levels of ALT, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in AP group increased significantly compared with those in SO group(P0.05). Conclusion The high serum levels of ALT, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in acute pancreatitis indicate that AP may lead to liver injury.