Effect of Rhubarb on severe acute pancreatitis complicated with renal injury in rats

[Objective]To investigate the effect of Rhubarb on severe acute pancreatitis(SAP) complicated with renal injury in rats.[Methods]Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,SAP group and the treatment group(n=10).Rat SAP model was induced by injection of 4.5%sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct.Rhubarb powder solution was injected into the stomach in the treatment group immediately after SAP model was built.Pathological changes of pancreas and kidney were observed with light microscope,kidney weight was measured for wet to dry weight ratio,and serum creatinine(Cr)and blood urea nitrogen(BUN) were detected.RT-PCR was applied to detect tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)mRNA of the renal tissue.[Results]The wet to dry weight ratio of kidney,Cr and BUN in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in SAP group(P0.01;P0.05;P0.05).No TNF-α mRNA expression was detected in the sham operation group.Compared with SAP group,TNF-α mRNA expression decreased obviously in the treatment group(P0.05).[Conclusion]Rhubarb can ameliorate pancreatic and renal inflammation,thus alleviate the disease condition,improve renal function and promote the repairment.