Metabolic characteristics of acute necrotizing pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis

The etiology and pathogenesis of pancreatitis remains unclear. In the presence of pancreatic inflammation, metabolite abnormalities appear before transformation of tissue structure and changes in functions occur. Detection of abnormalities in metabolite levels facilitates a greater understanding of the pathophysiological events and aids in the early diagnosis of the disease. In this study, metabolic profiles from the pancreas of Wistar rats were examined using high-resolution proton magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the metabolite indicator(s) of acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). The animals were divided into three groups: those with histologically confirmed ANP (n = 7), those with CP (n = 6) and a control group (n = 9). The processed NMR spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) to extract characteristic metabolites of ANP and CP. Levels of leucine, isoleucine and valine were increased in the ANP group, whereas an opposite trend was observed in the CP group. Increases in phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine and choline levels, and decreases in fatty acids, lactate, betaine and glycine levels were observed in both the ANP and CP groups. Additionally, the lipid content in the CP group was higher than that observed in the ANP group. An increase in taurine levels was observed only in the CP group. In conclusion, pancreatitis causes a disruption of the metabolism in the pancreas at a molecular level, with increased taurine levels being a potential metabolite indicator for those with CP.