The involvement and sources of active oxygen in experimentally induced acute pancreatitis

The involvement of active oxygen has been suggested in the development of cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats. Previously, we directly detected pancreatic active oxygen (O2-) production in rats with cerulein-induced pancreatitis by using a supersensitive photon counter and a cypridina luciferin analogue (MCLA) that reacts specifically with O2- by emitting luminescence. In the present study, with the specific aim of determining the source of O2-, we prepared two groups of animals with cerulein-induced pancreatitis: those treated with allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor; and those treated with nitrogen mustard, a leukopenia-inducing substance. In each of these two groups, pancreatic O2- production and the severity of pancreatic injuries were comparatively studied. In the leukopenic animal group, decreases in O2- dependent chemiluminescence and improvement in the pancreatic condition coincided. This suggests that neutrophils might be involved in experimentally induced pancreatitis as a source of active oxygen.