Effect of 5-FU on modulation of disarrangement of immuneassociated cytokines in experimental acute pancreatitis

R5; AIM: To investigate the effects of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)on modulation of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in acute pancreatitis and the mechanism of it in the treatment of acute pancreatitis.METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to 3 Groups: Group A, sham operated rats as controls ( n = 7); Group B, acute pancreatitis induced by ductal injection with 5% sodium cholate at a volume of 1.0 mL/kg without any other treatment; Group C, after the pancreatitis was induced as in Group B, the rats were injected intravenously with 5-FU 40 mg/kg. The animals in Groups B and C were killed at 2, 6 and 24 h after operation ( n = 7), and blood samples were taken for measurement of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (by bioassay),and interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) (by ELISA). The wet weight of pancreatic tissue, serum amylase levels and white blood cells were also measured.RESULTS: Four rats in Group B and one in Group C died after pancreatitis was induced. Both pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6) at the 2 and 6 h period and the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10,TGF-β) at 24 h increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in rats of Group B. After treatment with 5-FU, TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 in serum of rats of Group C were inhibited at 2 and 6 h after operation ( P < 0.05), and IL-10, TGF-β were inhibited at 24 h compared to Group B ( P < 0.05). Obvious improvements in the severity of the acute pancreatitis,including the amylase levels, wet weight of pancreatic tissue and neutrophil counts, were also observed after treatment with 5-FU.