Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2004. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 15, 2004; 10(14): 2003-2009
Published online Jul 15, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i14.2003
L-arginine-induced experimental pancreatitis
Péter Hegyi, Zoltán Rakonczay Jr, Réka Sári, Csaba Góg, János Lonovics, Tamás Takács, László Czakó
Péter Hegyi, Zoltán Rakonczay Jr, Réka Sári, Csaba Góg, János Lonovics, Tamás Takács, László Czakó, First Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, H6722, Hungary
Péter Hegyi, Zoltán Rakonczay Jr, School of Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Medical School, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by The Wellcome Trust, Grant No. 022618, and by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, No. D42188, T43066 and T042589
Correspondence to: Péter Hegyi, MD, PhD, University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, First Department of Medicine, PO Box 469, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary. hep@in1st.szote.u-szeged.hu
Telephone: +36-62-545-200 Fax: +36-62-545-185
Received: November 12, 2003
Revised: December 8, 2003
Accepted: December 23, 2003
Published online: July 15, 2004
Abstract

Despite medical treatment, the lethality of severe acute pancreatitis is still high (20%-30%). Therefore, it is very important to find good animal models to characterise the events of this severe disease. In 1984, Mizunuma et al[1] developed a new type of experimental necrotizing pancreatitis by intraperitoneal administration of a high dose of L-arginine in rats. This non-invasive model is highly reproducible and produces selective, dose-dependent acinar cell necrosis. Not only is this a good model to study the pathomechanisms of acute necrotizing pancreatitis, but it is also excellent to observe and influence the time course changes of the disease. By writing this review we iluminate some new aspects of cell physiology and pathology of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Unfortunately, the reviews about acute experimental pancreatitis usually did not discuss this model. Therefore, the aim of this manuscript was to summarise the observations and address some challenges for the future in L-arginine-induced pancreatitis.

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