Cannabinoid HU210 protects isolated rat stomach against impairment caused by serum of rats with experimental acute pancreatitis

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052921. Epub 2012 Dec 28.

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP), especially severe acute pancreatitis often causes extra-pancreatic complications, such as acute gastrointestinal mucosal lesion (AGML) which is accompanied by a considerably high mortality, yet the pathogenesis of AP-induced AGML is still not fully understood. In this report, we investigated the alterations of serum components and gastric endocrine and exocrine functions in rats with experimental acute pancreatitis, and studied the possible contributions of these alterations in the pathogenesis of AGML. In addition, we explored the intervention effects of cannabinoid receptor agonist HU210 and antagonist AM251 on isolated and serum-perfused rat stomach. Our results showed that the AGML occurred after 5 h of AP replication, and the body homeostasis was disturbed in AP rat, with increased levels of pancreatic enzymes, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), proinflammtory cytokines and chemokines in the blood, and an imbalance of the gastric secretion function. Perfusing the isolated rat stomach with the AP rat serum caused morphological changes in the stomach, accompanied with a significant increment of pepsin and [H+] release, and increased gastrin and decreased somatostatin secretion. HU210 reversed the AP-serum-induced rat pathological alterations, including the reversal of transformation of the gastric morphology to certain degree. The results from this study prove that the inflammatory responses and the imbalance of the gastric secretion during the development of AP are responsible for the pathogenesis of AGML, and suggest the therapeutic potential of HU210 for AGML associated with acute pancreatitis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Animals
  • Antiemetics / pharmacology
  • Antiemetics / therapeutic use
  • Cannabinoids / agonists
  • Cannabinoids / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cannabinoids / pharmacology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytoprotection*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dronabinol / analogs & derivatives*
  • Dronabinol / pharmacology
  • Dronabinol / therapeutic use
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Organ Culture Techniques
  • Pancreatitis / blood*
  • Pancreatitis / pathology
  • Piperidines / pharmacology
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Serum / physiology*
  • Stomach / cytology
  • Stomach / drug effects*
  • Stomach / pathology

Substances

  • Antiemetics
  • Cannabinoids
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Piperidines
  • Pyrazoles
  • AM 251
  • Dronabinol
  • HU 211

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81270477 and 81141050 to Dr. Yong-yu Li). http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.