Protective effect of AA-861 (5-lipoxygenase inhibitor) on experimental acute necrotizing pancreatitis in rats

The effect of the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor AA-861 on acute necrotizing pancreatitis was studied in an experimental model. Pancreatitis was induced in rats by retrograde injection of 0.4 mL/kg body wt of 6% taurocholic acid into the pancreatic duct. The animals were divided into three groups: control group; administered AA-861 in a single dose of 30 mg/kg; and administered AA-861 in a single dose of 60 mg/kg. The following parameters were examined: serum amylase, lipase, trypsin, blood sugar, and survival rate. Histology of the pancreas was also studied. The serum amylase and lipase activities in groups 2 and 3 were lower than those in group 1 in the early phase after induction of pancreatitis. The elevation of serum trypsin was not suppressed by AA-861. Blood sugar was more efficiently controlled in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1. The survival rates in groups 2 and 3 were better than that in group 1, but there were no significant differences among the three groups. Histologically, massive tissue necrosis with hemorrhage, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration was prominent in group 1, whereas such changes were obviously suppressed in groups 2 and 3. The results suggest that AA-861 may prove useful in the treatment of acute pancreatitis.