Ischemia and reperfusion in pancreas

Resveratrol: A medical drug for acute pancreatitis

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound extracted from plants, inhibit inflammation when administered. It has direct effects on suppression of platelet coagulation and cytokines production in many experimental models. Because microcirculation occlusion and cytokines over-production is involved in many diseases such as acute pancreatitis (AP), the discovery of resveratrol as platelet and cytokines inhibitors has shed light on the treatment of AP, which still has significant mortality and morbidity. It is anticipated that this natural polyphenol could serve as a therapeutic compound in managing AP through different pathways.

Influencing factors of pancreatic microcirculatory impairment in acute panceatitis

Pancreatic microcirculatory disturbance plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, and it involves a series of changes including vasoconstriction, ischaemia, increased vascular permeability, impairment of nutritive tissue perfusion, ischaemia/reperfusion, leukocyte adherence, hemorrheological changes and impaired lymphatic drainage. Ischaemia possibly acts as an initiating factor of pancreatic microcirculatory injury in acute pancreatitis, or as an aggravating/continuing mechanism. The end-artery feature of the intralobular arterioles suggests that the pancreatic microcirculation is highly susceptible to ischaemia. Various vasoactive mediators, as bradykinin, platelet activating factor, endothelin and nitric oxide participate in the development of microcirculatory failure.