Chlorpromazine treatment of experimental acute fulminant pancreatitis in pigs

Acute pancreatitis was induced in 20 piglets. In the controls (10 piglets) no specific treatment was given, while in the experimental group the animals were treated with chlorpromazine, a potent phospholipase A2 inhibitor in vitro. Blood samples were taken from all animals for the assay of amylase, lipase, phospholipase A2, calcium, blood glucose and arterial blood gases both before the experiment and at various time intervals after its commencement. At autopsy, tissue specimens were taken from the pancreas, liver, lungs, heart and kidneys for histological studies. In the untreated animals there was a continuous rise in the phospholipase A2 levels, while the level decreased to zero on the second day in the treated animals (p less than 0.01, Student's t test). Moreover, in the untreated animals there was a sharp drop in the arterial pO2, while this remained unchanged in the treated animals (p less than 0.1, Student's t test). The mortality was significantly less (p less than 0.01, chi-square test) in the chlorpromazine-treated animals than in the controls. Serum phospholipase A2 levels correlated with the changes in pulmonary function and mortality. The results support the view that phospholipase A2 is of importance in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis.