Background—Interleukin 8 (IL-8) has recently been proposed to have an important role in mediating the development of the systemic sequelae associated with severe acute pancreatitis.Aims—To define the role of IL-8 in acute pancreatitis by neutralising its effects with a monoclonal anti-IL-8 antibody (WS-4), in a rabbit model of severe acute pancreatitis.Methods—Acute pancreatitis was induced by retrograde injection of 5% chenodeoxycholic acid into the pancreatic duct and duct ligation. Twenty rabbits were divided equally into two groups: acute pancreatitis controls received physiological saline and the treated group received WS-4, 30 minutes before induction of acute pancreatitis.Results—Pretreatment of animals with WS-4 resulted in significant down regulation of serum IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) from three to six hours after induction of acute pancreatitis (p=0.011 and 0.047 for IL-8 and 0.033 and 0.022 for TNF-α, respectively). In addition, a significant reduction in the CD11b and CD18 positive cells and the amount of interstitial neutrophil infiltration in the lungs from WS-4 treated animals was seen. In contrast, WS-4 did not alter the amount of pancreatic necrosis and the serum concentrations of amylase, lipase, calcium, and glucose.Conclusion—WS-4 cannot change the amount of pancreatic necrosis induced by injection of 5% bile acid, but does reduce the acute lung injury, presumably through inhibition of circulating IL-8 and TNF-α, and CD11b/CD18 in lung tissue. Therefore, a role of IL-8 in the progression of acute pancreatitis and the development of its systemic complications is suggested.
Mesenteric Lymph Duct Ligation Alleviates Acute Lung Injury Caused by Severe Acute Pancreatitis Through Inhibition of High Mobility Group Box 1-Induced Inflammation in Rats