EXPRESSION OF STRESS PROTEINS HEME-OXYGENASE-1 AND HEME-OXYGENASE-2 IN ACUTE-PANCREATITIS AND PANCREATIC-ISLET-BETA-TC3 AND ACINAR-AR42J CELLS

Oxygen-derived free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, yet adaptive responses in the pancreas in vivo to oxidative stress remain poorly defined. We have investigated expres sion of the stress protein heme oxygenase in the intact pancreas of ra ts with caerulein-induced pancreatitis and in cultured pancreatic acin ar and islet cell lines. Expression of inducible heme oxygenase-1 (HO- 1) in the pancreas in vivo was enhanced 12-24 h after induction of pan creatitis. In murine islet (beta TC3) and rat acinar (AR42J) pancreati c cells, H2O2, methyl viologen, cadmium chloride and diethylmaleate en hanced HO-1 expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner, without a ltering expression of constitutive HO-2. Enhanced expression of HO-1 i n the pancreas in vivo and pancreatic islet and acinar cells may contr ibute to cellular defences against oxidative stress associated with ac ute pancreatitis. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societie s.