Inflammatory mediators in acute pancreatitis

✍ Scribed by Bhatia, Madhav; Brady, Mark; Shokuhi, Sheila; Christmas, Stephen; Neoptolemos, John P.; Slavin, John

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 199 KB
• Volume: 190
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(200002)190:2<117::aid-path494>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

In¯ammatory mediators play a key role in acute pancreatitis and the resultant multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, which is the primary cause of death in this condition. Recent studies have con®rmed the critical role played by in¯ammatory mediators such as TNF-a, IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, PAF, IL-10, C5a, ICAM-1, and substance P. The systemic effects of acute pancreatitis have many similarities to those of other conditions such as septicaemia, severe burns, and trauma. The delay between the onset of in¯ammation in the pancreas and the development of the systemic response makes acute pancreatitis an ideal experimental and clinical model with which to study the role of in¯ammatory mediators and to test novel therapies. Elucidation of the key mediators involved in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis will facilitate the development of clinically effective anti-in¯ammatory therapy.