DETECTION OF NITRIC-OXIDE PRODUCTION AND ITS ROLE IN PANCREATIC ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION IN RATS

Partial ischemia of rat pancreas body and tail was obtained by occlusi on of the celiac axis for 1 h after gastrectomy. The plasma level of n itrite plus nitrate in both systemic and portal venous blood after rep erfusion was significantly higher than that after sham operation and i schemia alone. The elevation after reperfusion was significantly decre ased by N-G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Simultaneous admin istration of L-arginine counteracted the L-NAME-induced decrease in th e level of nitric oxide (NO) end products. Generation of NO was furthe r demonstrated by nitrosylhemoglobin detection by electron spin resona nce in the blood after reperfusion. On the other hand, the plasma leve l of lipase, a marker of damage to pancreatic exocrine tissue, was sig nificantly increased after ischemia-reperfusion and further increased by administration of L-NAME. This increase in lipase correlated with a decrease in tissue blood flow in the pancreas. These results suggest that NO is generated during and may have a protective role in ischemia -reperfusion of the rat pancreas.