Heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter polymorphism is associated with the development of necrotizing acute pancreatitis
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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Oncogene Expression Analysis with Alterations in pH in a Pancreatic Ductal Cell Line
Published on: April 11, 2025
Aiste Gulla1, Barry J Evans, Jean Marc Navenot
1From the *Department of Surgery, Academy of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; †Department of Pathology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA; ‡Institute for Digestive Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; and §Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
Objectives:
Acute pancreatitis is a severe and frequently life-threatening disease, which can lead to pancreatic necrosis, acute lung injury, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and other complications. In this study, we hypothesized that the expression of heme oxygenase-1 determined by the number of guanidinium thiocyanate (GT) repeats can influence the occurrence of acute pancreatitis.
Methods:
Patients with acute pancreatitis (n = 131) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 108) were studied. The polymerase chain reaction products were analyzed by ABI 3130 genetic analyzer and the exact size of the polymerase chain reaction products was determined by GeneMapper software. A short allele was defined as containing 27 GT repeats or fewer, whereas a long allele was more than 27 repeats.
Results:
The subjects were categorized into 3 groups on the basis of the genotype results: 1 short and 1 long, 2 short, and 2 long alleles (L/L). Patients with necrotizing disease more frequently were carriers of LL genotype compared with those who had edematous acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of L/L allele type doubles the risk for developing pancreatic necrosis in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Conclusions:
The polymorphism of the GT repeats in the heme oxygenase-1 promoter region may be a risk factor for developing severe and necrotizing acute pancreatitis.
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Acute Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Acute Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Acute pancreatitis is characterized by rapid inflammation of the pancreas, often caused by factors like gallstone blockage or excessive alcohol consumption. Chronic pancreatitis, on the other hand, is a slow, progressive inflammation that may result from long-term alcohol abuse, obstructions in the pancreatic duct, or genetic factors.
The causes of acute pancreatitis include:
