RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERITY, NECROSIS, AND APOPTOSIS IN 5 MODELS OFEXPERIMENTAL ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

In an effort to elucidate factors that determine the severity of an at tack of acute pancreatitis, we have quantitated the extent of necrosis and of apoptosis in five different models of experimental acute pancr eatitis. Severe pancreatitis was induced by obstructing the opossum co mmon bile-pancreatic duct, by administering to mice 12 hourly injectio ns of a supramaximally stimulating dose of caerulein, and by feeding y oung female mice a choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented diet. In each of these models of severe pancreatitis, marked necrosis but very little apoptosis was found. Mild pancreatitis was induced by obstructi ng the rat common bile-pancreatic duct and by infusing rats with a sup ramaximally stimulating dose of caerulein. In contrast to our findings in severe pancreatitis, mild pancreatitis was characterized by very l ittle necrosis but a high degree of apoptosis. Our finding that the se verity of acute pancreatitis is inversely related to the degree of apo ptosis suggests that apoptosis may be a teleologically beneficial resp onse to acinar cell injury in general and especially in acute pancreat itis.