Diseases of the pancreas like alcoholic acute and chronic pancreatitis affect a large proportion of the population and are responsible for significant morbidity, mortality and health care expense. The principal investigator has developed a unique model of alcoholic acute pancreatitis in cats. By pharmacologic means the model can be manipulated to produce either acute edematous or hemorrhagic pancreatitis. At the present time, no other models of acute alcoholic pancreatitis exist.
The specific aims of the proposal include the following: 1) Macromolecules the size of pancreatic digestive enzymes will be traced as they leak from pancreatic ducts made permeable by ethanol ingestion. This will involve a morphological study using electron microscopy. 2) Alcoholic hemorrhagic pancreatitis appears to occur as a result of increases in pancreatic microvascular permeability and/or blood flow. Studies will be performed to determine which of these alterations is more significant. 3) Studies will be performed in which established alcoholic edematous pancreatitis will be converted to the hemorrhagic variety within 24-48 hours after its onset. 4) Using the alcoholic edematous pancreatitis model, pancreatic secretion, systemic chemical alterations, organ morphology and mortality rate will be studied at intervals after the induction of the inflammatory response. 5) Similar experiments will be done with the alcoholic hemorrhagic pancreatitis model. The long term objectives of the project include the complete characterization of this animal model for the study of alcoholic acute pancreatitis so that the human disease can be investigated more effectively.
| Karanjia, N D; Widdison, A L; Lutrin, F J et al. (1991) The antiinflammatory effect of dopamine in alcoholic hemorrhagic pancreatitis in cats. Studies on the receptors and mechanisms of action. Gastroenterology 101:1635-41 |
| Singh, S M; Reber, H A (1990) Treatment of acute alcoholic pancreatitis in cats. Pancreas 5:568-73 |
