[Effect of acupuncture on serum MIP-2 and MIP-2 mRNA expressions in isolated Fei and Dachang of severe acute pancreatitis induced acute lung injury rats in the acute phase].

OBJECTIVE: To observe effect of acupuncture on serum macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and MIP-2 mRNA expressions in isolated Fei and Dachang of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) induced acute lung injury (ALI) rats in the acute phase. METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, i.e., the sham-operation group, the SAP group, the acupuncture treatment group, and the acupuncture control group, 10 in each group. The SAP model was induced by retrograde infusion of 3.5% sodium taurocholate into the pancreatobiliary duct. Under the guidance of "Fei and Dachang exterior-inferiorly related", points were acupunctured along Fei, Dachang, and Pi channels, as well as those points on the back of rats in the acupuncture treatment group 0.5 h after modeling. Besides, points were acupunctured along Fei and Pi channels, as well as those points on the back of rats in the acupuncture control group 0.5 h after modeling. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO), and MIP-2 expressions were examined 6 h after modeling. Expressions of MIP-2 mRNA in isolated lung and large intestine tissues were detected by reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, serum levels of TNF-alpha and NO, and expressions of MIP-2 and MIP-2 mRNA in isolated lung and large intestine tissues were significantly higher in the SAP group (P < 0.05). Each index was lower in the acupuncture treatment group than in the SAP group and the acupuncture control group (P < 0.05). Besides, the serum level of MIP-2 and the MIP-2 mRNA expression in isolated lung and large intestine tissues were positively correlated in all groups except the sham-operation group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Under the guidance of "Fei and Dachang exterior-inferiorly related", acupuncture could remarkably reduce the severity of SAP induced ALI rats in the acute phase. Its mechanism might be related to suppressing over-expressions of MIP-2 mRNA in isolated lung and large intestine tissues, and lowering the serum MIP-2 expression level.

Immunosuppression and the infection caused by gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in patients with early severe acute pancreatitis

Few data are available on the relationship between immune response and the infection caused by gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). The aim of this study was to investigate the immune response to gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in patients with early SAP. The results showed that the levels of endotoxin, the lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio, the D(-)-lactate concentration, the proportion of HLA-DR-positive monocytes, and the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 all decreased from a high level while the frequency of Tregs increased during the first 14 days. The Th1/Th2 ratio was decreased, with a decreased Th1 and an increased Th2 profile, in the beginning, but it was subsequently increased, with an increased Th1 profile. The data from this study showed that immunosuppression, the shift of the Th1/Th2 balance toward a Th2 response, increased Tregs, and related inflammatory cytokines are involved in the complex process of inflammation and infection caused by gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in patients with early SAP.