PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF THE SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG OCTREOTIDE IN ISCHEMIA REPERFUSION-INDUCED ACUTE-PANCREATITIS IN RATS

Somatostatin and its stable analogue octreotide are proposed to amelio rate the outcome from acute pancreatitis by inhibiting pancreatic secr etion and preventing cell injury. This study investigated the effect o f somatostatin analogue octreotide on pancreatic microcirculatory inju ry (by means of intravital fluorescence microscopy) and enzyme release after ischemia/reperfusion of the pancreas in rats. Octreotide, injec ted 15 min before the end of 2 h of ischemia as a bolus injection (50 mu g kg(-1) i.v.) or as a continuous infusion (50 mu g kg(-1) h(-1) i. v.), attenuated postischemic reperfusion injury of the pancreas as evi denced by a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in capillary perfusion and decrease in leukocyte-endothelium interaction in postcapillary ven ules compared to ischemia without treatment. Pancreas amylase concentr ation remained unchanged in the octreotide group but increased signifi cantly (p < 0.05) in the ischemia group. These results indicate a prot ective effect of octreotide against postischemic reperfusion injury of the pancreas in rats.