BML-111, a lipoxin receptor agonist, ameliorates 'two-hit'-induced acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in mice by the upregulation of heme oxygenase-1.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of BML-111 on acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury (APALI) induced by cerulein with subsequent an LPS administration in mice and its possible mechanisms. One hundred and twenty-eight mice were randomly allocated to four groups, namely the APALI group, the BML-111 pretreatment group, the BM-111 control group, and the control group. The 'two-hit' mice APALI model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cerulein 7 times at hourly intervals and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) once after the last dose of cerulein immediately. The samples were taken at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after the last injection. Serum levels of amylase, TNF-a, IL-1ß and IL-10, were determined. Histological score of the pancreas and lung, the wet/dry weight ratio, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in the lung were also evaluated. BML-111 pretreatment significantly reduced the serum levels of amylase, TNF-α, IL-1ß, the wet/dry weight ratio of lung, and the pathology injury scores of pancreas and lung, and the serum levels of IL-10 were markedly increased. The severity of pancreatic and lung histology were also significantly improved by the administration of BML-111, and the expressions of HO-1 in lung tissues also increased in the BML-111 group compared with those in the APALI group. In conclusion, BML-111 exerts protective effects on APALI induced by cerulein and LPS. In addition to its anti-inflammatory effects, the beneficial effects may also be due to the upregulation of HO-1 expression in the lung tissues.