We examined the stimulatory state of peritoneal macrophages (M phi) in caerulein-induced pancreatitis. Edematous pancreatitis was developed by the intravenous continuous injection of caerulein (5 micrograms/kg/hr) for 4 hr. Thereafter peritoneal M phi were collected and the activity for free radical production was measured by the reduction of nitro blue tetrazorium in the presence of phorbol myristate acetate. The increase in free radical production reached a statistical significance at 12 hr and a maximum at 20 hr after the beginning of caerulein infusion. These results suggested that the peritoneal M phi are activated even in mild edematous pancreatitis, and that their activation is involved into the mechanism of the development of remote organ failure in acute pancreatitis.
Acute Disease Animals