Therapeutic effect of basic fibroblast growth factor on experimental pancreatitis in rat

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is one of the mitogens that facilitat e endothelial proliferation and angiogenesis. This study was designed to ex amine the therapeutic effect of bFGF on experimental pancreatitis in rat. E dematous pancreatitis was induced by intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 mu g/kg) at hourly intervals. BFGF (70 nmol/kg) was administered intra peritoneally after induction of pancreatitis. DNA synthesis of isolated pan creatic acinar cells of normal rats was determined as the uptake of 5-bromo -2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) into the cells. Immunohistochemical staining of DNA synthesis in acinar cells during cerulein-induced pancreatitis was also ex amined with BrdU labeling in vivo technique. Cerulein administration increa sed serum amylase, lipase level, and wet weight of pancreatic tissue. Treat ment with bFGF markedly ameliorated all these parameters. In primary cultur e system of isolated pancreatic acinar cells of normal rats, bFGF caused a dose-dependent increase in BrdU incorporation into DNA, showing an EC50 val ue of 0.8 nmol/L and a maximum response of 2.5-fold increase at a concentra tion of 400 nmol/L. bFGF treatment (70 nmol/kg) markedly increased BrdU lab eling in the nucleus of acinar cells of the pancreatitis rats group in immu nohistochemical examination when compared with control without bFGF treatme nt. Treatment with bFGF may represent a promising therapeutic concept for p atients with acute pancreatitis.