EFFECTS OF CYTOKINES AND OTHER INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS ON HUMAN ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

Most episodes of acute pancreatitis are mild, but severe disease compl icated by multiple system organ failure develops in up to 20% of cases . In all patients with pancreatitis, the accumulation of leukocytes in pancreatic and extrapancreatic tissue. and the release of various med iators from them and other sites are important determinants of disease severity. Proinflammatory mediators, whose initial job is to limit th e local damage, are released early in the disease. However, these medi ators can exacerbate the severity of the pancreatitis when they contin ue to be elaborated in greater amounts or for longer periods than norm al. When their actions are blocked or their release is inhibited, the severity of experimental pancreatitis and its associated mortality rat e are less. This suggests the possibility that agents that inhibit the release and/or action of these mediators could be beneficial clinical ly.