Effects of hemorrhagic shock, aspirin, and ethanol on secretagogue-induced experimental pancreatitis

The effects of hemorrhagic shock, aspirin, and ethanol on the biochemical and morphologic changes of experimental pancreatitis were evaluated. Pancreatitis was induced by infusing rats with a supramaximally stimulating dose (5 micrograms/kg/h) of caerulein. Hemorrhagic shock was established by removing sufficient blood to reduce mean arterial pressure by 30%, where it was maintained for 30 min. Aspirin (25 mg/kg) and ethanol (2 g/kg) were administered through an orogastric tube at 8-h intervals for 48 h. Hemorrhagic shock did not alter the degree of hyperamylasemia, pancreatic edema, cathepsin B subcellular redistribution, or in vitro LDH leakage that characterize this model of pancreatitis. Hemorrhagic shock did, however, worsen the morphologic evidence of pancreatic injury. Administration of aspirin with ethanol did not alter the degree of hyperamylasemia, pancreatic edema, or subcellular cathepsin B redistribution. Aspirin-ethanol pretreatment also did not alter the morphologic severity of pancreatitis. These observations indicate that hemorrhagic shock worsens the microscopic evidence of pancreatitis induced by supramaximal secretagogue stimulation. In contrast, aspirin-ethanol pretreatment, which might have been expected to increase pancreatic ductal permeability, did not alter the severity of this model of experimental pancreatitis.