Acute pancreatitis occurs when acinar cells, which contain pancreatic enzymes, are damaged. This resuts in self-digestion of the organ and tissues which surround it. Dr Jason Bruce and scientists from The University of Manchester have discovered that insulin has a protective influence on pancreatic cells. Research was published in Journal of Biological Chemistry.
About 80% of acute pancreatitis cases is caused by cholelithiasis or alcohol abuse. Accumulation of large amount of fats and alcohol in pancreatic acinar cells leads to loss of energy of those cells and to intercellular calcium increase. As a result, the cell dies and enzymes present in it come out. Symptoms of the disease include acute pain in the epigastrium, vomiting and sometimes systemic inflammatory response and multiple organ failure occur.
So far, no drug for patients with acute pancreatitis was found. Every year about 20 000 cases are diagnosed and 1000 of them dies (data from Great Britain). Dr Jason Bruce and his coworkers observed that in patients who take insulin the frequency of AP occurrence is decreased despite the fact that diabetes is a risk factor causing damage to and aggravating functioning of not only pancreas, but also many other organs.
Acinar cells of pancreas isolated from rats were used in the research. They were exposed to damaging agents such as ethanol, palmitoleic acid and its esters. Measure of cells destruction was their overload with ions of calcium (Ca2+) which was measured with the use of fluorescent probe fura-2. Administering of insulin protected against negative influence of used agents and also inhibited necrosis. It was proved that owing to insulin it is possible to maintain appropriate level of energy necessary for transportation of calcium outside the cell and proper state of homeostasis.
The discovery is another prove for importance of maintaining appropriate levels of substances which are produced in the organism. The results remind us how complex are the mechanisms connected with production of one hormone which are not limited only to maintaining appropriate level of sugars. It is possible that protective influence of insulin will be described in other pathologies. However, as of today the results are very promising. Further research and trials on people which will be successful would significantly improve treatment of acute pancreatitis.
Written by: Irmina Kmieć, Jerzy Bednarski
Source:
1) Insulin protects pancreatic acinar cells from palmitoleic acid-induced cellular injury. The Journal Of Biological Chemistry: Aysha Samad, Andrew James, James Wong, Parini Mankad, John Whitehouse, Waseema Patel, Marta Alves-Simoes, Ajith K. Siriwardena and Jason I. E. Bruce (2014)
2) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/281377.php
3) http://gastrologia.mp.pl/choroby/trzustka/show.html?id=51047/
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