The effects of glycyrrhizin on acute pancreatitis in mice

• Published in: European review for medical and pharmacological sciences Vol. 18; no. 24; p. 3943
• Main Author: Pan, Y-L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy 01.12.2014
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Amylases - blood; Animals; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Down-Regulation - drug effects; Glycyrrhizic Acid - pharmacology; HMGB1 Protein - biosynthesis; Interleukin-6 - blood; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Pancreatitis - blood; Pancreatitis - drug therapy; Pancreatitis - metabolism; Pancreatitis - pathology; Random Allocation; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood
• ISSN: 2284-0729

This study aimed to investigate the effects of glycyrrhizin on acute pancreatitis in mice. Sixty Balb/c mice were randomly divided into four groups as control group, model group, low dose group and high dose group (n=15). Acute pancreatitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Caerulein (100 µg/kg) hourly for 6 times. Mice in low dose group and high dose group received intraperitoneal administration of 15 mg/kg and 45 mg/kg glycyrrhizin respectively 4 hours before Caerulein injection. Mice in four groups were sacrificed in three equal lots at 8, 16 and 24 hours after model construction. High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1) expression and serum levels of amylase, TNF-α and IL-6 were determined. The pancreatic tissues were taken for histopathologic analysis. Amylase, TNF-α, IL-6 and HMGB1 levels were significantly higher and pancreas lesion was severer in model group than in control group. However, Amylase, TNF-α, IL-6 and HMGB1 levels in low dose group and high dose group decreased significantly compared with model group. The pancreas lesion was also improved after administration of glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin could decrease the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and downregulate the expression of HMGB1 which finally improved the pancreas lesion in mice with acute pancreatitis.