The effect of dopamine in a model of biliary acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis

Perfusion of the main pancreatic duct in cats with a dilute solution of bile salts increases ductal permeability. Subsequent perfusion of a permeable duct with activated pancreatic enzymes results in acute edematous pancreatitis. Simultaneous infusion of 16-16 dimethyl-PgE2 converts edematous pancreatitis to acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis (AHP). AHP may be associated with a reduction in pancreatic blood flow; it is certainly associated with increases in microvascular permeability. Low dose dopamine is a splanchnic vasodilator and may also reduce pancreatic microvascular permeability through beta agonist effects. In these studies, we investigated the effect of dopamine in an established feline model of biliary AHP. We also studied its effect on blood flow in both normal pancreas and after induction of AHP. We found that dopamine significantly reduced the degree of pancreatic inflammation, even when administered up to 12 h after onset of biliary AHP. However, the drug had no significant effect on blood flow either in normal pancreas or in the gland affected by hemorrhagic pancreatitis. We concluded that the effect of dopamine was most likely due to its ability to reduce pancreatic microvascular permeability.