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Background/Aim: Injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) may result in pancreatic graft loss in pancreas transplants. Therapeutics strategies to reduce pancreatic I/R injury are extremely important to improve the outcomes of clinical transplantation. We have previously demonstrated that hypertonic saline 7.5% had anti-inflammatory response in acute pancreatitis and liver ischemia/reperfusion models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hypertonic saline solution 7.5% in I/R pancreatic.
Methods: Pancreatic ischemia was performed in Wistar rats during one hour by clamping the splenic vessels under mechanical ventilation. The vascular clamp was removed 1 hour after ischemia and pancreatic revascularization was achieved, followed by 4h or 24h of reperfusion. The animals divided into 3 groups: Group NT (n=20): subjected to pancreatic I/R without treatment; Group NS (n=20): subjected to I/R and treated with normal saline solution (NaCl 0.9%), 15 minutes before reperfusion; Group HTS (n=20): subjected to I/R pancreatic and treated with hypertonic saline solution (NaCl 7.5%), 15 minutes before reperfusion. Four and twenty four hours after reperfusion blood were collected for determinations of amylase, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10, creatinine, urea. Pancreatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content was also performed. After 24hours of reperfusion pulmonary tissues were assembled for myeloperoxidade (MPO) analyses.
Results: There was a decrease of inflammatory cytokines in the Group HTS compared with control, NT and NS groups. It was observed a significant decrease in serum urea and creatinine in the animals treated with normal (NS) and hypertonic saline (HTS) compared to not treated animals (NT). The serum amylase levels and the determination of pancreatic MDA showed no significant differences between groups with I/R.
Conclusions: Hypertonic saline solution decreases the systemic inflammatory response by cytokines reduction (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10)in pancreatic I/R injury. Further studies will be necessary to prove the clinical benefits in patients subject to pancreatic transplantation.