Melatonin modulates the severity of taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis in the rat

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on serum amylase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and histological changes in rats with taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups; group 1, group 2 and group 3 were enrolled as melatonin, control and sham groups, respectively (n = 10 per group). Acute pancreatitis was induced by 1 ml/kg body weight using 5% taurocholate injection into the biliopancreatic duct in groups 1 and 2 after clamping the hepatic duct. Those in group 1 received 50 mg/kg body weight melatonin by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection. Group 2 received physiological saline i.p. at the same dose. Group 3 solely underwent laparotomy with cannulation of the biliopancreatic duct. Twenty-four hours after the intervention, the rats were killed, and serum samples were collected to measure amylase and TNF-alpha levels. Simultaneously, pancreatic tissues were removed, stained with hematoxylin-eosin and examined under a light microscope. Serum amylase and TNF-alpha levels were significantly lower in the melatonin group compared to the controls (P < 0.001). The total histological score, including edema, inflammation, perivascular infiltrate, acinar necrosis, fat necrosis and hemorrhage, was also significantly lower in the melatonin group as compared to the control (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, melatonin is potentially capable of reducing pancreatic damage by decreasing serum TNF-alpha levels in taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis in rats. This result supports the idea that melatonin might be beneficial in ameliorating the severity of acute pancreatitis.