Effects of Gami-Daehwangmokdanpi-Tang against CCK-induced acute pancreatitis

Objective : Daehwangmokdanpi-Tang (DWT) has been frequently used as a remedy for antiinflamation. To evaluate effect of acute pancreatitis by DWT, we examined the effects of DWT on the cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) in rats. Methods : Male Wistar rats weighing 200 to 250 g were divided into three groups. Normal untreated group, in treatment with DWT group; DWT was administered orally, followed by CCK subcutaneously three times, after 1, 3 and 5 h. This whole procedure was repeated for 5 days. In treatment with saline group, the protocol was the same as in treatment group with DWT. Results : The author determined the pancreatic weight/body weight ratio, the levels of pancreatic HSP (heat shock protein)60 and HSP72 and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Repeated CCK treatment resulted in the typical laboratory and morphological changes of experimentally induced pancreatitis. DWT was significantly decreased the pancreatic weight/body weight ratio in CCK-induced AP. Futhermore, The author demonstrated that DWT increased HSP60 and HSP72 compared with CCK-induced AP. Additionally, the secretion of and the levels of amylase and lipase were lower than that saline. Conclusions : These results suggested that DWT may has a protective effect against CCK-induced AP.