Effects of Chai-Qin-Cheng-Qi Decoction on cefotaxime in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

AIM: To investigate the effect of Chai-Qin-Cheng-Qi Decoction (CQCQD) on cefotaxime (CTX) concentration in pancreas of rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). METHODS: Sixty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into an ANP group (ANP model + CTX, n = 20), treatment group (ANP model + CTX + CQCQD, n = 20) and control group (normal rats + CTX, n = 20). ANP models were induced by retrograde intraductal injection of 3.5% sodium taurocholate (1 mL/kg), and the control group was injected intraductally with normal saline. All rats were injected introperitoneally with 0.42 g/kg CTX (at 12-h intervals for a continuous 72 h) at 6 h after intraductal injection. Meanwhile, the treatment group received CQCQD (20 mL/kg) intragastrically at 8-h intervals, and the ANP and control group were treated intragastrically with normal saline. At 15 min after the last CTX injection, blood and pancreas samples were collected for the determination of CTX concentration using validated high-performance liquid chromatography. Pathological changes and wet-to-dry-weight (W/D) ratio of pancreatic tissue were examined. RESULTS: Serum CTX concentrations in three groups were not significantly different. Pancreatic CTX concentration and penetration ratio were lower in ANP group vs control group (4.4 +/- 0.6 microg/mL vs 18.6 +/- 1.7 microg/mL, P = 0.000; 5% vs 19%, P = 0.000), but significantly higher in treatment group vs ANP group (6.4 +/- 1.7 microg/mL vs 4.4 +/- 0.6 microg/mL, P = 0.020; 7% vs 5%, P = 0.048). The histological scores and W/D ratio were significantly decreased in treatment group vs ANP and control group. CONCLUSION: CQCQD might have a promotive effect on CTX concentration in pancreatic tissues of rats with ANP.

[Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction decreases pancreatic acinar cell calcium overload in rats with acute pancreatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction (CQCQD), a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, acting on the pancreatic acinar cell calcium overload in rats with acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: A total of 30 SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group and CQCQD group (n=10, respectively). AP was induced in rats by caerulein (5x50 mug/kg) intraperitoneal injection within 4 h. The pancreatic tissue SERCA1 and SERCA2 mRNA expressions were detected by fluorescent quantization polymerase chain reaction method; intracellular calcium fluorescence intensity (FI) of pancreatic acinar cells and the pancreatic pathological score were measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy and light microscopy respectively. RESULTS: There were no SERCA1 mRNA expressions in pancreatic acinar cells of rats in the normal control group and the untreated group. The expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA in the untreated group was down-regulated compared with that in the normal control group (expression ratio=0.536; P=0.001); the expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA in the CQCQD group was up-regulated compared with that in the untreated group (expression ratio=2.00; P=0.012). The pancreatic pathological score in the CQCQD group was lower than that in the untreated group and the FI of Ca(2+) was also lower. CONCLUSION: CQCQD can up-regulate the expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA, release the calcium overload, and hence reduce the pathological changes in pancreatic tissue.

[Effects of Chaiqinchengqi decoction on exocrine function of pancreatic acinar cells of acute pancreatitis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Chaiqinchengqi decoction(CQCQ-D) on exocrine function of pancreatic acinar cells and the changes of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) of acute pancreatitis (AP) rats, so as to explore the mechanism of CQCQ-D. METHODS: Acute pancreatitis model was induced in Sprague-Dawley rat by ligation of bile-pancreatic duct, pancreatic acinar cells were isolated by collagenase digestion and in vitro co-incubated with the drug serum containing Chaiqingchengqi decoction(CQCQ-S) which was collected from normal rats intragastrically fed on CQCQ-D, then the amylase activity secreted into the buffer was assayed and intracellular fluorescent intensity were observed and analyzed to investigate the changes of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). RESULTS: Amylase secretion in AP group was lower than that in sham-operation(SO) group (P < 0.01), while CQCQ-S treatment led to more significant decrease (P < 0.05); [Ca2+]i elevated in AP rats (P < 0.05), while the level of [Ca2+]i elevation was reduced after CQCQ-S treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CQCQ-D has inhibitive effects on exocrine function of pancreatic acinar cells and the calcium overload of AP rats.

Effect of Chaiqinchengqi decoction on sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase mRNA expression of pancreatic tissues in acute pancreatitis rats.

AIM: To investigate the effect of Chaiqinchengqi decoction (CQCQD) on sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) mRNA expression of pancreatic tissues in acute pancreatitis (AP) rats. METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into control group, AP group and CQCQD group (n = 3 x 10). The rats in the CQCQD group were intragastrically administered with CQCQD (10 mL/kg every 2 h) after induction of AP by intraperitoneal injection of caerulein (50 microg/kg.h x 5) within 4 h. At 6 h after the induction of AP model, pancreatic tissues were collected for the pathological observation, mRNA extraction for determination of SERCA1 and SERCA2 mRNA expression or pancreatic acinar cell isolation for measurement of fluorescence intensity (FI) of intracellular calcium ion concentration [Ca2+]i. RESULTS: There was no expression of pancreatic SERCA1 mRNA in the control group and the AP group. The expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA in the AP group was down-regulated (expression ratio = 0.536; P = 0.001) compared with the control group, while that in the CQCQD group was up-regulated (expression ratio = 2.00; P = 0.012) compared with AP group. The FI of intracellular [Ca2+] of pancreatic acinar cells in the AP group (138.2 +/- 23.1) was higher than the C group (111.0 +/- 18.4) and the CQCQD group (118.7 +/- 15.2 ) (P < 0.05) and the pancreatic pathological score in the CQCQD group was lower than that in the AP group (5.7 +/- 1.9 vs 9.2 +/- 2.7, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CQCQD can up-regulate the expression of SERCA2 mRNA of pancreatic tissues, reduce intracellular calcium overload and relieve pancreatic tissue lesions.

[Clinical study on 100 cases of severe acute pancreatitis in aged patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in aged patients, and to explore the measures of its diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The clinical data of 100 aged patients (55-85 years old) with SAP admitted from January 2003 to December 2005 were reviewed and compared with those of 221 non-aged SAP patients (11-54 years old) admitted at the same period. RESULTS: Totally 112 times of onset occurred in 100 aged patients, and the main causes for senile SAP were biliary diseases and hyperlipemia. Both acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) and Ranson scores of the aged patients with SAP were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05); while there was no significant difference in Balthazar score between the two groups(P>0.05). The incidences of low serum calcium, low albumin and high aspartate aminotransferase (P<0.05), liver, kidney or brain impairment as well as the mortality were higher in the senile SAP group than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Biliary disease and hyperlipemia are the main causes of senile SAP, which lacks characteristic clinical symptoms and is often associated with multiple complications such as infection and lung, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, and brain impairment. Individualized differential treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine based on stage classification is an effective approach.