Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality; however, there is no specific treatment for this disease. Our objective is to study how Flos Lonicerae, an herbal medicine used for treating inflammation within oriental medicine practices, affects inflammation and acinar cell injury during the early phase of AP. A total of twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into a normal group, a control group, and two AP with F. lonicerae extract groups. A single dose of F. lonicerae water extract (100 or 200 mg/kg) was co-administered with caerulein 2 h before AP induction. Plasma amylase activities, the concentration of platelet activating factor (PAF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured. Pancreatic sections were histological and COX-2 immunohistologically assessed for abnormal acinar cells and interstitial space. AP induction produced a sevenfold increase in plasma amylase and a threefold increase in interstitial space. Observations also showed that 90% of the acinar cells were abnormal. For rats from the AP F. lonicerae extract groups, serum amylase and IL-6 were reduced by 86 and 84% relative to the control group (p < 0.05) at 6 h, respectively. Histological severity of pancreatitis, graded on the basis of pancreatic edema, acinar cell vacuolization and inflammation, was reduced in the F. lonicerae extract administered rats. These results suggest that F. lonicerae water extract has an ameliorative effect for suppressing inflammation on caerulein-induced AP in rat.

Key words: Flos Lonicerae, pancreatitis, immunohistochemistry.