Alcohol-induced pancreatic oxidative stress: Protection by phospholipid repletion

Oxidative stress is considered to be a forerunner of pancreatitis. Since we had found polyenylphosphatidylcholine, a mixture of polyunsaturated phosph atidylcholines extracted from soybeans, to protect against hepatic oxidativ e stress, we now tested its effects on the pancreas. Sprague-Dawley rats we re pair-fed for two months nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing et hanol (36% of energy) or isocaloric carbohydrate, with either polyenylphosp hatidylcholine (3 g/1000 kcal) or safflower oil, with or without 5 g/1000 k cal carbonyl iron. Parameters of oxidative stress (F-2-isoprostanes, 4-hydr oxynonenal, reduced glutathione), ubiquinol-10, ubiquinol-9 and vitamin E, as well as phosphatidylcholine species, were assessed by GC/MS and/or HPLC. Alcohol feeding increased pancreatic 4-hydroxynonenal three-fold, F-2-isop rostanes and ubiquinol-9 by more than 70%, whereas it decreased total phosp holipids, several phosphatidylcholine species, ubiquinol-10 and glutathione , especially in iron fed rats. Polyenylphosphatidylcholine prevented the ri se in 4-hydroxynonenal and F-2-isoprostanes, the decrease in dilinoleoylpho sphatidylcholine and oleoyllinoleoylphosphatidylcholine and opposed the alc ohol-induced decrease of glutathione; alpha-tocopherol remained unchanged. Iron had no significant effect except for decreasing ubiquinol-10 in the pa ncreas and increasing aminotransferases in the plasma. Thus, the alcohol-in duced oxidative stress in the pancreas was shown to be prevented by polyeny lphosphatidylcholine which may act, in part, by correcting the depletion of several phosphatidylcholine species. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.