Brief Article
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2014; 20(16): 4712-4717
Published online Apr 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i16.4712
Sonic hedgehog expression in a rat model of chronic pancreatitis
Luo-Wei Wang, Han Lin, Yi Lu, Wei Xia, Jun Gao, Zhao-Shen Li
Luo-Wei Wang, Han Lin, Wei Xia, Jun Gao, Zhao-Shen Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
Yi Lu, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China
Author contributions: Wang LW and Lin H contributed equally to this work; Wang LW and Li ZS designed the research; Lin H, Lu Y, Xia W and Gao J performed the research; Wang LW and Xia W analyzed the data; Wang LW and Lin H wrote the paper.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30700360
Correspondence to: Zhao-Shen Li, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 168 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200433, China. zhsli@81890.net
Telephone: +86-21-25070552 Fax: +86-21-55621735
Received: November 6, 2013
Revised: January 20, 2014
Accepted: March 4, 2014
Published online: April 28, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammation of the pancreas in which pancreatic secretory parenchyma is destroyed and replaced by fibrous tissue, eventually leading to impairment of both exocrine and endocrine functions. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is a developmental signaling pathway that is highly activated in the embryo and in the early postnatal phase. Studies on the Hh signaling pathway in human CP are restricted by limited availability of tissues. Therefore, the present study was carried out to analyze the activation of SHh signaling pathways in a rat model of CP.