ceruletide and Gastrointestinal-Hemorrhage

Topics: Biliary Tract Diseases; Ceruletide; Cholangiography; Cholelithiasis; Duodenal Ulcer; Endoscopy; Gastrins; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; Gastrointestinal Hormones; Humans; Intestinal Absorption; Lactose Intolerance; Pancreatic Diseases; Peptic Ulcer; Radionuclide Imaging; Secretin; Stomach Neoplasms

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated to regulate pancreatic circulation, promote capillary integrity, and inhibit leukocyte adhesion. We investigated the role of NO in the development of pancreatitis. Nitro-L-arginine, an inhibitor of NO synthase, in total dose of 35 mg/kg body wt was infused in the rats with edematous pancreatitis induced by two intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (20 micrograms/kg). L-Arginine (125 or 250 mg/kg), a NO donor was intravenously administered twice in the rats with hemorrhagic pancreatitis induced by water-immersion stress plus two intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (40 micrograms/kg). The degree of pancreas edema, serum amylase levels, and histologic alterations were investigated. Nitro-L-arginine exacerbated cerulein-induced pancreatitis and caused a decrease in pancreatic blood flow. L-Arginine ameliorated the severity of hemorrhagic pancreatitis dose dependently and improved the pancreatic blood flow. These findings suggest that NO could confer protection against the development of hemorrhagic pancreatitis, probably through improvement of the pancreatic microcirculation.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Arginine; Ceruletide; Drug Interactions; Edema; Enzyme Inhibitors; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; Male; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitroarginine; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Time Factors