Experimental research of expression of TNF-α mRNA and IL-6 mRHA in liver damage in acute pancreatitis

Objective To explore the expression of hepatic TNF-α mRNA and IL-6 mRNA and the liver injury in 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 pathological changes of the pancreas were observed and studied under light microscopy in 3,6 and 12 h postoperatively for both AP group and SO group.At the same time,the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) were determined;the changes of blood levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were detected with radioimmunoassay(RIA) method;the expression of TNF-α mRNA and IL-6 mRNA in the liver were detected with realtime polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR).Meanwhile,the pathological changes of livers were examined under light microscope and electron microscope.Results Compared with the normal hepatic tissue and cellular morphology in SO group at the same hour,the blood levels of TNF-α,IL-6 and ALT increased significantly in AP group(P0.05) and pathological changes appeared in liver of AP group,of TNF-α mRNA and the expression of IL-6 mRNA in liver tissue of the AP group were also stronger than those in SO group in 3～12 hours with the development of AP.Conclusion The expression of hepatic TNF-α mRNA and IL-6 mRNA may be associated with the liver injury in acute pancreatitis.It suggests that hepatic TNF-α and IL-6 probably play an important role in liver injury of acute pancreatitis.