2-methyl-6-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-7-dihydroimidazo(1-2-alpha)pyrazin-3-one and Acute-Disease

To study the importance of oxygen-derived free radicals in acute pancreatitis, an experimental study of in vivo detection of superoxide free radicals (O2-) was performed using rats. Using a new chemiluminescence probe (2-methyl-6-[p-methoxyphenyl]-3,7-dihydro-imidazol[1,2-1]pyrazin- 3-one; MCLA; a Cypridina luciferin analogue) and a highly sensitive photon counting system, O2- from the pancreatic surface of rats with experimental acute pancreatitis induced by 180 micrograms cerulein/kg was detected. The time course of MCLA-dependent luminescence suggested that O2- production began 2-3 h after cerulein injection and then decreased gradually. Superoxide free radical production in the pancreas of rats with cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis was confirmed using MCLA-dependent chemiluminescence. This new method allows direct observation of the behavior of oxygen-derived free radicals.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Ceruletide; Free Radicals; Imidazoles; Kinetics; Luminescent Measurements; Male; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Pyrazines; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Superoxide Dismutase; Superoxides