Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
Preparing a Mice Model of Severe Acute Pancreatitis via a Combination of Caerulein and Lipopolysaccharide Intraperitoneal Injection
Published on: May 10, 2024
Shikonin ameliorates cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice
Jie Xiong1, Jianbo Ni, Guoyong Hu
1Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.
Ethnopharmacological Relevance:
Shikonin, a highly liposoluble naphthoquinone pigment isolated from the traditional medical herbs Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE), was considered to exhibit an anti-inflammatory property. While the potential of shikonin to ameliorate acute pancreatitis (AP) is unknown. Our aim was to investigate the effects of shikonin in a murine model of cerulein-induced pancreatitis.
Materials And Methods:
AP was induced in mice by six intraperitoneal injection of cerulein (50 μg/kg) at hourly intervals. Vehicle or shikonin (50 mg/kg) was pretreated 2 h before the first cerulein injection. After 6 h, 9 h and 12 h of the first cerulein injection, the severity of acute pancreatitis was assessed by biochemistry, myeloperoxidase activity, histological grading, proinflammatory cytokines levels and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity.
Results:
Shikonin administration significantly reduced serum amylase and lipase activities, pancreatic histological scores, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 levels, MPO activity and NF-κB activity.
Conclusion:
Taken together, these results suggest that shikonin might protect against experimental pancreatitis by reducing release of inflammatory cytokines via inhibition of NF-κB activity. The therapeutic role of shikonin in AP needs further investigation.
