Molecular mechanisms of alcohol associated pancreatitis
Alcohol abuse is commonly associated with the development of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Despite this close association, the fact that only a small percentage of human beings who abuse alcohol develop pancreatitis indicates that alcohol abuse alone is not sufficient to initiate clinical pan...
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Published in | World journal of gastrointestinal pathophysiology Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 147 - 157 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc
15.08.2014
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Alcohol abuse is commonly associated with the development of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Despite this close association, the fact that only a small percentage of human beings who abuse alcohol develop pancreatitis indicates that alcohol abuse alone is not sufficient to initiate clinical pancreatitis. This contention is further supported by the fact that administration of ethanol to experimental animals does not cause pancreatitis. Because of these findings, it is widely believed that ethanol sensitizes the pancreas to injury and additional factors trigger the development of overt pancreatitis. How ethanol sensitizes the pancreas to pancreatitis is not entirely known. Numerous studies have demonstrated that ethanol and its metabolites have a number of deleterious effects on acinar cells. Important acinar cells properties that are affected by ethanol include: calcium signaling, secretion of zymogens, autophagy, cellular regeneration, the unfolded protein response, and mitochondrial membrane integrity. In addition to the actions of ethanol on acinar cells, it is apparent that ethanol also affects pancreatic stellatecells. Pancreatic stellate cells have a critical role in normal tissue repair and the pathologic fibrotic response. Given that ethanol and its metabolites affect so many pancreatic functions, and that all of these effects occur simultaneously, it is likely that none of these effects is "THE" effect. Instead, it is most likely that the cumulative effect of ethanol on the pancreas predisposes the organ to pancreatitis. The focus of this article is to highlight some of the important mechanisms by which ethanol alters pancreatic functions and may predispose the pancreas to disease. |
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Bibliography: | Dahn L Clemens;Mark A Wells;Katrina J Schneider;Shailender Singh;Nebraska-Western Iowa Veterans Administration Medical Center;Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center;Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 Correspondence to: Dahn L Clemens, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 4400 Emile St, Omaha, NE 68198, United States. dclemens@unmc.edu Author contributions: All the authors solely contributed to this paper. Telephone: +1-402-9953738 Fax: +1-402-4490604 |
ISSN: | 2150-5330 2150-5330 |
DOI: | 10.4291/wjgp.v5.i3.147 |